OCPS chief: district meets new state safety rules, recommends more cameras and card readers

Chief Brian Holmes, the district’s chief of school police and the school safety specialist, told the Orange County School Board on Oct. 28 that Orange County Public Schools has met or exceeded the requirements of the state’s recent school‑safety legislation and recommended a set of ongoing security upgrades.

Holmes delivered the board’s annual school safety specialist update, citing the district’s work to implement changes in Senate Bill 1470 and the Florida Department of Education rules. “Keeping our students and staff safe is our top priority,” Holmes said as he opened his presentation and reviewed new statutory requirements.

Holmes summarized key statutory changes: the law now distinguishes exclusive zones (areas between an outer barrier and an interior locked door) from non‑exclusive zones (exterior campus areas such as athletic fields and parking lots), narrows campus‑access timing to 30 minutes before school through 30 minutes after dismissal, requires that substitute teachers receive district safety procedures before they work, and requires county sheriffs to authorize individual school guardians to work in the county. Holmes said OCPS has met or exceeded those requirements.

Why it matters: The new definitions change how the district treats gates, doors and exemptions and reduce the number of written exemptions…