Santa Rosa board hears public outcry over alleged safety lapses, approves new safety director and Soundside boundary plan

The Santa Rosa County School Board on Jan. 15 approved a new director of school safety and adopted boundary and grade‑level plans for the new Soundside High School, even as residents used public comment to press the district for more transparency about investigations and alleged failures to report incidents involving young students.

Superintendent Doctor Barber opened the meeting with district updates, including a reported rise in the graduation rate to 93.1% for 2024–25 and confirmation that the Santa Rosa Center for Innovation — funded by a $9,800,000 Triumph Gulf Coast grant — will open this spring. Barber also recounted a Jan. 13 “swatting” incident involving Hobbs Middle School that prompted a lockdown and reunification; she said law enforcement quickly secured campuses and that the district checked out roughly 330 students to authorized caregivers before operations returned to normal within about 90 minutes. "Within an hour and a half, we had checked out 330 children," Barber said, thanking local agencies and school staff for their coordination.

On personnel, the board voted unanimously to appoint the district’s recommended candidate to lead school safety after a multi‑applicant search. Barber told the board the committee narrowed 12 applicants to five finalists and selected "the best person for that job in Santa Rosa County";…