Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Actions Safety Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves Florida Safe Schools assessment, authorizes policy advertisements; public-participation change tabled
Summary
At its Oct. 14 meeting the Volusia County School Board unanimously approved the district's annual Florida Safe Schools assessment and voted to advertise proposed policy revisions on instructional materials and safety procedures. A proposed amendment to public-participation rules was tabled for consideration at a later date.
The Volusia County School Board on Oct. 14 unanimously approved its annual Florida Safe Schools assessment, heard safety and program updates from district staff, and authorized advertising revisions to two board policies. A separate proposed amendment to the board's public-participation policy was tabled after members said they wanted further review.
Florida Safe Schools assessment: Captain Smith of the district's Safety and Security Department presented the statutory Florida Safe Schools assessment required under Florida Statute 1006.07. Smith reported that all schools now have either a school guardian or school resource officer assigned and that the district employs about 90 school guardians, six lead guardians, a guardian commander and a security operations coordinator in addition to 38 school resource officers.
Smith said the district's priorities have shifted with recent legislation and county radio upgrades. He recommended completing an ongoing districtwide camera installation program by December 2025 (three years ahead of an earlier schedule), standardizing radios across campuses through a three-year replacement plan, and installing metal detectors in all high schools as a district project in progress. "Each school has gone through a detailed assessment," Smith said in presenting the statutory report. The board voted to accept the assessment as presented.
Policy actions and advertising: The board authorized advertisement of proposed amendments to policy 3.21 (instructional materials) and policy 5.10 (safety and security of students, personnel and property). The policy 3.21 amendment removes a cross-reference to policy 3.20 to reflect statutory changes separating instructional materials from library media. The 5.10 amendment adds language clarifying that nothing in the policy prevents an employee from filing a police report with a school resource officer or deputy in cases of assault and battery by a student; that text was discussed as a response to incidents involving students with disabilities and staff safety.
"While there are protections in place for students with disabilities, nothing should stop a private citizen from filing a police report," board attorney Andrew Langenbach summarized during the discussion of 5.10.
Public-participation policy tabled: Proposed amendments to policy 8.01 (public participation in school board meetings) were discussed at length. The revisions sought to clarify when public participation is allowed at regular and consent sessions and to consolidate certain speaking opportunities; opponents said the change would reduce the public's ability to address the board between meetings. After debate, a motion to table the proposal until the board is at full membership passed.
Other business discussed: Staff described a pilot extension of services with the online safety vendor Gaggle tied to the district's Student Support Management Plan (SSMP). District staff said the Gaggle add-on provides 24/7 text and call crisis-intervention support for students, families and employees, plus an outside EAP retainer for staff. District officials reported summer outreach numbers of about 302 family responses in June (noted as roughly double the national response rate for similar outreach), 31% response rate in July and 29% in August during the rollout. The board also heard a brief update that the district has added nine new VPK classrooms this year and is purchasing furniture for those rooms; VPK is now available at 43 of 45 elementary campuses.
Votes at a glance - Item 1.03 (approval of 09/23/2025 minutes): Motion to approve by Ruben Colon; second by Donna Brosmer. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Item 2.01 (approval of agenda): Motion to approve by Donna Brosmer; second by Jessie Thompson. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Consent agenda: Motion to approve by Ruben Colon; second by Donna Brosmer. Outcome: approved unanimously (consent agenda included items such as 10.03 and 10.04; board members had pulled 10.03 and 10.04 for brief discussion prior to the vote). - Item 15.01 (annual Florida Safe Schools assessment): Moved by Jessie Thompson; second by Donna Brosmer. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Item 15.02 (authorize advertisement of proposed amendments to policy 3.21): Moved by Ruben Colon; second by Jessie Thompson. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Item 15.03 (authorize advertisement of proposed amendments to policy 5.10): Moved by Donna Brosmer; second by Ruben Colon. Outcome: approved unanimously. - Item 15.04 (authorize advertisement of proposed amendments to policy 8.01 public participation): Motion to table by Ruben Colon; second by Donna Brosmer. Outcome: motion to table approved.
Why it matters: The Safe Schools assessment and the policy changes reflect compliance with state statutes and evolving safety expectations; the camera and radio upgrades and proposed metal detector work carry costs and operational implications for the district. The public-participation discussion underscores ongoing tension between procedural changes to meeting formats and stakeholders' desire for accessible public input.
Ending: The board said staff would proceed with the required advertisement steps for the two policies and return with any required public-comment periods; the public-participation item will return for board consideration at a future meeting.
