The School District continues to hone their safety measures to be compliant with House Bill 1473 – the Safety Bill.

Parents and staff received an email Monday informing them of the safety measures the district will make for the Safety Bill, which was recently signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The email stated that “all school classrooms and other instructional spaces must clearly and conspicuously mark the safest areas in each classroom or other instructional space where students must shelter in place during an emergency.”

“Our safety and security team joined school administrators and school resource officers to survey every campus over the summer to determine and mark the safe area in all instructional space,” district spokesperson Rob Spicker said. “As required by law, each area is clearly identified. Students will be advised of the location and practice going to that area during some emergency drills.”

In addition, the bill also requires schools provide instruction on the use and misuse of FortifyFL, the state mobile suspicious activity reporting tool.

The FortifyFL app was created and funded by the Florida Legislature in 2018 as part of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act. Spicker said students have been using this suspicious activity reporting tool for years.

“Tips are reported to local law enforcement and school administrators for immediate investigation,” Spicker said. “What is new this year, is that we must advise students within the first 10 days of school about the app and the consequences for reporting false information, or fake threats.”

The FortifyFL app is on each student’s Chromebook. The app can also be downloaded on their device, or reported through the FortifyFL website. Students can also report suspicious or concerning behavior to their teacher, administrator, SRO or CrimeStoppers, Spicker said.

“The School District of Lee County was in compliance with many of the features of HB 1473 before it passed, so the new law codifies much of what we were already doing. We will continue to keep all doors locked, gates secured, expand the guardian program and implement our layers of security so that our students and staff are as safe as possible during the school day,” Spicker said. “We continually look for ways to protect our students and staff and when new technology is available, we determine if it will work for us. We are also proud to be the only district in Florida that uses OPENGATE weapon detection systems at every school and are focused on refining the procedures this year to enhance the protection they provide to our schools.”