Latest news with #NationalSummitonSchoolSafety
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shooting at FSU prompts reevaluation of campus safety measures
Florida State University students marched to the Capitol on April 23, 2025, less than a week after a gunman opened fire on their campus, calling for legislation on guns and school safety. (Photo by Jay Waagmeester/Florida Phoenix) The state's universities will reevaluate door locks and lockdown protocol as a result of a statewide safety reevaluation prompted by the April 17 shootings at Florida State University that killed two people. State University System Chancellor Ray Rodrigues told the Florida Board of Governors Thursday that he has instructed each institution to, over the summer, 'assess the security of their buildings and the ability to execute a lockdown drill.' 'Specifically, we want to know if the doors can be locked from the inside and, if there are windows in the doors, can those be covered or protected?' Rodrigues said during the virtual meeting. FSU students come to Capitol with asks following campus shooting The idea, Rodrigues said, is to understand the needs of each university in time to make budget requests to the Legislature for the 2026 session. A petition on has nearly 32,000 signatures advocating for locks on FSU classroom doors after some people on campus reported doors students barricaded behind while the shooter walked the campus could not lock. System leaders are planning a 'safety summit' in October to share institutions' assessments and suggest best practices. The Florida Department of Education hosted Florida's National Summit on School Safety in February, focusing on policies implemented since the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people. 'This is an active criminal case. We know what's in the arrest report. We know what the media has reported. When the trial is completed, everything will be out,' Rodrigues said. 'I feel confident in saying the response of the FSU campus police in this situation was nothing short of amazing, and this could have been a much, much worse tragedy than it was — obviously tragic to have students shot and to have any loss of life. But the quick response of the FSU campus police prevented this from being much, much, much worse than it could have been.' Phoenix Ikner, a 20-year-old FSU student, was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder after he was released from the hospital. He had been there since the day of the shooting, recovering from a gunshot wound to his jaw. Ikner is being held in Wakulla County jail south of Tallahassee. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Miami Herald
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Seven years after Parkland: Florida father's mission to prevent school violence continues
Seven years ago today, on Valentine's Day 2018, my life changed in ways I could never have imagined. That was the day my beautiful daughter, Gina Rose Montalto, was taken from us in the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Losing Gina shattered my world. It shattered our family. It broke our community. And while the pain of that day will always be with me, it also ignited something deep within — a mission to make sure no other family has to experience what we did. Out of that unimaginable sorrow, Stand with Parkland was born. What began as a response to tragedy has grown into a movement of hope and action. It's not easy to relive that day or talk about what we lost, but I do it because I believe we can—and must—create change. On a national level, we've worked tirelessly to push for bipartisan solutions, like the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. It's brought meaningful change by expanding background checks, funding mental health programs and providing resources to help prevent violence in our schools. In Florida, we fought for the passage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act just months after the shooting. This groundbreaking legislation strengthened school security, boosted funding for mental health resources, and raised the minimum age for firearm purchases. Florida also took a leading role in school safety reform with measures like the School Guardian Act, ensuring trained law enforcement officers are present in every K-12 school. These laws, paired with expanded mental health services, have made our state a national model for safety reform. What Florida has done proves something important: when we come together and put politics aside, we can make meaningful progress. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. This year, Florida will host the National Summit on School Safety in Orlando next week, bringing together education leaders, law enforcement, policymakers and safety professionals from across the country. This is our chance to share what we've learned, to collaborate with others and to encourage states to take real, proven steps to protect their students and teachers. Yet, despite these accomplishments, we know our work is far from done. Each school shooting that occurs is a painful reminder of the urgency of our mission. Hundreds of tragedies have happened since Gina's life was stolen, and each one strengthens our resolve to fight for a safer future. We believe there is more that unites us on this issue than divides us, and we are committed to working with anyone — regardless of political affiliation — to protect our nation's children. The tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School changed us forever. But it also inspired us to act. We know what works: expanding mental health resources, implementing effective behavioral threat assessments, ensuring responsible firearms ownership, and building comprehensive school safety plans. This isn't a partisan issue—it's about saving lives. As we mark this solemn anniversary, we call on lawmakers, educators, parents, and community members to join us in this vital mission. Let us honor the memories of those we lost by ensuring their legacy is one of action and change. Together, we can create a future where every child can pursue their education free from fear, and every parent can send their child to school with confidence in their safety. Tony Montalto is the father of Gina Rose Montalto, 14, who was a victim at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. He is the president of Stand with Parkland -The National Association of Families for Safe Schools, an advocacy group founded by families that had a loved one killed in the Parkland school massacre. He is also president of the Gina Rose Montalto Memorial Foundation, established by Tony and his wife, Jennifer, to keep Gina's light shining by helping others through scholarships and awards as listed at:
