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Broward County schools to add security measures at MSD

Posted at 8:07 PM, Mar 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-22 09:36:09-04

This week, the brother of accused shooter Nikolas Cruz was arrested for trespassing on school grounds, a Broward County Sheriff's Office deputy was caught sleeping while on duty and two MSD students were arrested for having knives.

“I’m not going to tolerate that stuff," Pollack said. "Sheriff sleeping, open perimeter, anyone can walk in. It’s really just common sense. I’m not even an expert.”

"I feel like they just keep burying themselves," said Annabel Claprood, a sophomore at Stoneman Douglas High School.

Annabel stayed home from school Wednesday, but not for the same reason she says some of her peers did.

“I know a lot of people that didn’t go. It’s taking a stand, not because we don’t feel safe," Annabel said.

She didn't go to school Wednesday because she already had plans, a meeting with Broward County Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie to talk about school safety.

“I really want to sit down and help him out with making some decisions on what is his next step," she said.

Annabel presented her ideas on how to make her school safer because so far, she said she's not seeing enough changes.

"Walking toward the main entrance, the red gates, there was no one there checking whether I belonged to there, whether I went to the school. Just walked right in and no one stopped me," said Annabel, of going to school in the morning since the shooting. "I didn’t show any ID. I didn’t have anything saying I was a Douglas student."

Late Wednesday afternoon, Superintendent Runcie sent out a letter to Stoneman Douglas High School families detailing security changes for the high school as well as all schools in the district.

"I feel like we’re the ones throwing the ideas at him and he’s making them logical is how I feel and he’s putting it into everything and seeing is this going to work? Is it not? Let’s see. Let’s try it out," Annabel said.

The district plans to provide additional school security personnel positions for Douglas, require students to wear their school ID badge at all times, consolidate points of entry for students and staff using metal-detecting wands and potentially permanent metal detectors and then require students to only use clear backpacks once they return from spring break. The district will provide those clear backpacks at no cost.

BSO has installed a lookout tower at the edge of the Douglas parking lot.

Florida Highway Patrol will have eight troopers at the school starting Thursday to staff entryways.