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Board receives positive safety-compliance report; public calls for firmer discipline after alleged misconduct
Summary
The board received an FSAC compliance report with recent unannounced visits showing no compliance issues and temporarily designated Mr. Keane as the district school safety specialist. In public comment a community member urged stronger and immediate disciplinary measures in response to alleged inappropriate staff conduct.
The Santa Rosa County School Board on Oct. 9 received the district's Florida School Safety Advocacy Committee (FSAC) compliance report and learned that recent unannounced state compliance visits found no issues, district staff said.
Mr. Keane, the district threat-management coordinator, is temporarily serving as the district's school safety specialist, a position and responsibilities the presenter said are required by state statute; the state deputy chancellor for safety has been notified. Mr. Keane presented a synopsis of the school-level compliance checks and a quarterly report covering July 1 to Sept. 30; staff said there were no compliance findings during recent visits.
During public comment, Jerry Cooley of Milton urged the board to take firmer, immediate action in response to alleged inappropriate touching by a staff-level employee described in a local police report. Cooley said repeat incidents and dismissive responses undermine public confidence and called for stronger consequences to protect students, including immediate firings where warranted. The superintendent earlier in the meeting reiterated background-screening procedures, mandatory ethics training for employees, and the district's practice of reporting allegations to the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Florida Department of Education and law enforcement as appropriate.
Board members acknowledged the public concern and recorded the FSAC results, the temporary safety specialist assignment and public comment on the record.
