Sarasota schools report majority of state safety inspections clear; staff outline proposed state rule changes and training updates

Chief Sean O'Keefe, Safety and Security, told the Sarasota County School Board on March 4 that district and state safety inspections are largely favorable and that the district has taken steps to address certification and paperwork gaps ahead of state reviews.

The report to the board said the Florida Department of Education Office of Safe Schools inspects every public and charter school once every three years and that the district must file findings in the Florida Safe Schools assessment tool. “We had 79% of the schools that we've had inspected so far make it through without any violations or only minor paperwork violations,” O'Keefe said. He added that 56% of schools inspected to date had no violations at all.

Why it matters: The briefing traces compliance to state safety rules and outlines new or pending state-level changes that could affect campus access, personnel certification and parent notification. The district also described operational changes — increased security staffing, expanded training…