The School District of Lee County continues to look into ways to improve safety and security, a measure taken through the Florida Safe Schools Assessment Tool.

Safety, Security & Emergency Management Executive Director Dave Newlan said when looking at the safety of campuses they check each school site and make an assessment of the school design and the layers of security.

Based on how it is designed, they look at what they should apply for the best layers of security.

The district continues to make improvements to ensure the safety and security of students and staff. Some of the areas they are looking into on some campuses include the possibility of additional fencing, enclosing walkways to separate front parking lots, adding to security cameras, as well as really pushing high liability training such as threat assessment training, reunification, legal issues and tactical communication.

“We want to make sure we are consistent,” Newlan said.

He said school resource officers assigned to schools will work with staff to go through different scenarios regarding tactical communication. The scenarios will include what each person would do, how they would react to ensure no one becomes complacent.

“We have to keep moving forward,” Newlan said, adding that they have to keep training. “It’s collaborative. Everyone is taking part, taking ownership, discussing and communicating and keep training.”

Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said it is about training, education and prevention.

Newlan said when they talk about threat assessment, de-esculation techniques are discussed. Law enforcement, mental health counselors and social workers are involved as they work together through a case-by-case basis.

“The whole idea is to be preventative, proactive. How do we prevent that from happening again,” he said. “It has to be constant and has to be continuous. We still have to have these measures in place. We have to be ready to go.”

A “swatting” incident at South Fort Myers High School, which caused a schoolwide lockdown, was also brought up in the discussion, as the district went over the event step-by-step to see how they could improve.

“How do we communicate better to know what everyone is up to and ensure certain things are directed in a manner to allow for the best response with personnel,” Bernier said.

He said the incident gave them information on ways to improve their processes.