ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — In the wake of the Texas school shooting, local districts are reminding families about plans in place if something like that were to happen on the First Coast.
Paul Abbatinozzi, Senior Director for School Services for St. Johns County Schools, said the district partners with the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office to conduct active shooter drills once a month. He said deputies also present training videos for staff and students.
“We've never let our guard down as it relates to safety and security," he said. "It's certainly something we don't want to be complacent with," Abbatinozzi said.
Each school also has youth resource deputies, he said.
“We certainly rely heavily on communication with our families and our students. You know, we use platforms such as [the app] Fortify Florida. We have online reporting tools for bullying and harassment, and really, we encourage the relationship-building at our schools, more so to engage with trusted adults on our campus," Abbatinozzi said.
He said they've done a lot over the years when it comes to safety.
"Everything from the perimeter settings of our schools, to inside our schools, things with our single point of entry. So, we have a lot of focus on the hardening of our schools to make sure that they continue to be a safe spot," Abbatinozzi said.
The district has a school messenger system they use to communicate with families if something happens like a campus lockdown or traffic delays. Abbatinozzi said they'd use that system and the sheriff's office to communicate with families in an active shooter situation.
He said they also have reunification plans in case something happens. In the wake of the Texas shooting, he has a message for families.
“Our children are here. We have plans. They're safe in our schools, you know, safety and security is a top priority in this school ... and we're not going to sit complacent with our plans," he said.
"But know that to take advantage of the systems that we have, please communicate with us. If you know of anything suspicious that's going on, whether it's your community or at our school, and keeping those channels of communication open are really important for us,” Abbatinozzi said.
First Coast News also reached out to other districts in the area and spokespeople for those districts said they have similar plans in place.