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Hardee superintendent details perimeter breach at Huachula Elementary, outlines new training and safety specialist hire
Summary
Superintendent Bennett recapped an Aug. 21 perimeter breach at Huachula Elementary, saying interior lockdown protocols kept students safe and describing new trainings, ID badges, monthly drills and a two-week bus-driver training; the board also introduced a new safety specialist who will begin next Thursday.
Superintendent Bennett told the Hardee County School Board on Aug. 28 that an individual was observed jumping a north-side fence at Huachula Elementary on Aug. 21 and that video shows the person on campus from about 10:56 to 11:00 a.m. She said the principal, Christie Bellflower, immediately conferred with the school resource officer, Amy Drake, who began an on-site investigation and later contacted local police to obtain a case number and, ultimately, an arrest.
Bennett said the district completed the required online report to the Florida Department of Education and notified parents after gathering accurate information, noting the timing of outreach reflected the need to verify facts rather than issue premature updates. "The exterior perimeter, while it was breached, that first line of defense, the interior safety protocols were incredibly effective in preventing access to the classrooms," Bennett said, adding that locked doors and layered security kept students and staff safe.
The superintendent described corrective steps already implemented: a site debrief at Huachula Elementary; expanded training for cafeteria and custodial staff; a maintenance-site training held the day after the incident; ID badges for all district employees on campus; monthly raptor-system checks and monthly phone-notification drills; and a scheduled bus-driver training on Sept. 19. Bennett also said the district has recommended hiring a safety specialist to monitor compliance and enhance readiness; the specialist was introduced to the board at the meeting and said she will start next Thursday.
Board members asked about outreach to day-care providers and community partners during drills or actual lockdowns; Bennett said she had discussed those concerns with law-enforcement leadership and that further coordination would follow. "We're going to continue to strengthen our safety protocols," she said. "This incident ... serves as a reminder of the critical importance of ongoing vigilance, layered levels of security, and continuous training at every level for every district employee."
The board did not take formal action related to discipline in public session; Bennett declined to discuss individual student discipline at the meeting and offered to meet privately with a student who raised a discipline concern during public comment. The district indicated an arrest in the incident had been made by local law enforcement after the initial investigation.
