Collier students return to more secure schools on first day back

After a 2½-month break, some 50,000 Collier public school students strapped on their backpacks and headed to class Wednesday for the first day of school.

At Mike Davis Elementary just south of Golden Gate, where many of those backpacks were covered in sequins, pompoms and unicorns, students and parents were greeted with star-shaped balloons, red and blue streamers, and a line of community members and school staff who gave out high-fives. 

But as soon as parents reached the front door, some were reminded of the challenges from last school year. A new security system was mounted to the wall beside the front door, while a sheriff's deputy stood nearby. 

The new safety measures were put in place in response to the Parkland massacre, where 17 students and staff were shot dead in February on Florida’s east coast. A former student has been charged in the killings.  

"My daughter is my life," said Mike Davis parent Dolly Morisset after dropping off her 10-year-old, Jaaliyah.

Tears began streaming down Morisset's face as she recalled the days after the shooting last winter. 

"I was worried. I really was," she said. "But I knew she'd be OK. I just felt it in my heart."

The new security measures have helped ease Morisset's worries, allowing her to remember all the reasons she loves the school. 

"This has always been an awesome school," she said. "It feels like we're coming home."

The new security systems, which have been installed at all 50 district schools, require visitors to present a government-issued ID to a camera and state the reason for their visit. Visitors on an approval list will be allowed into the entrance area, where they'll again be asked for their identification and issued a visitor pass. Those who are not on the list will be turned away. 

Front doors will remain locked throughout the school day and, as is mandated by a new state law, the district has assigned a full-time officer to all 50 schools. In the past, only some schools had full-time deputies, while others employed officers part time.

“We are going to go well above to ensure that our kids are safe,” Collier Sheriff Kevin Rambosk said at a Collier schools welcome-back event last week.

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Mike Davis parent Annia Bonilla said she, like many other parents, was scared after the shooting, but she feels confident in the new security system. 

"I love it," she said. "I am very happy the school district jumped right on it to try to fix the situation and do what's best for security. It was a very good response."

But the shooting was far from the minds of students, many of whom couldn't wait to get back into the swing of things. 

"I'm just excited," said first-grader Emiliano Cruz, 6, who smiled ear-to-ear. "I can't wait to meet my new teacher."

Third-grader Ralph Romain, 9, said he was looking forward to learning about science. 

"It's pretty hard, but you get to do cool stuff," he said. "But I'm pretty nervous too because I don't know what teacher I'm going to get."

Kennedi Brunsfield, 8, also in third grade, wore a polka-dot bow in her hair and a pink sequined backpack with the letter "K" written in white sequins. She said she was most excited to make new friends. 

"I like that we can be nice to each other," she said. 

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Taking a break from greeting students, Collier Superintendent of Schools Kamela Patton said she enjoyed seeing all the young children in their new outfits and accessories. 

"I'm very excited, I can feel their energy," she said. 

The 2018-19 school year marks the first time the Cambridge program for gifted students will be offered to grades K-2. 

Second-grade Cambridge teacher Logan Watchel said although her students will follow the same curriculum as their peers, they'll have more opportunities to dive deeper into the materials and learn through independent exploration, as opposed to teacher-led instruction. 

Watchel said she's most looking forward to introducing students to the district's new social emotional learning curriculum — a topic she feels hasn't received enough attention. 

Many of her students become frustrated when they don't understand certain concepts, and they easily give up, Watchel said. 

"Even though they are so young, they do have those emotions and don't know exactly how to deal with them," she said in between hugs from a steady stream of students who appeared excited to see her. "I think social emotional learning is going to be great for the kids, whether or not they have those issues. It lets them know they're loved and creates that classroom community."

The initiative involves class discussions and twice-monthly videos led by the school principal. 

Collier high schools will have their own version of social emotional learning that will focus more on how to deal with failure and the importance of building relationships. 

High schools will also have an added layer of security in the form of ID badges, which will be distributed to students in the coming weeks. 

The badges don't scan, but students will be required to wear them while on campus. Prior to this school year, just three of Collier’s seven public high schools had a badge program. Students in middle school will be issued badges come January.

The Collier County Sheriff's Office issued a news release Monday reminding the public of its role in keeping schools safe. The message asked community members to drive safely; keep weapons locked or stored securely; report suspicious activity, threats and social media posts; and pay attention to their children’s mental health and social media activity.

As of July, it is a second-degree felony to create, post or transmit a threat to carry out a mass shooting or act of terrorism; the message advised parents to discuss these new consequences with their children.

“As all of us are aware, school safety is not just about traffic and slow-speed zones anymore,” Rambosk said in the release. “It takes an entire community working together to keep our schools safe. We must all turn our safety awareness into action to keep our kids safe.”

Other new initiatives are planned for later in the school year, including increased safety drills and a smartphone app that will allow parents to track their child’s school bus. The WheresTheBus app, which is expected to be released in late September, will provide updates on bus arrival times. For security purposes, the app will be made available only to parents and guardians.

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