School Board Rejects Security Guards for Brandon Schools
The board turned down Superintendent MaryEllen Elia's recommendation to hire 130 security officers until it can get a better handle on the best way to ensure the safety of public school children.
Like a lot of moms around the country, the Dec. 14 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., stood as a wakeup call for Tampa resident Bridgitte Kramer. "I'm very concerned about the safety of my children," said Kramer, whose children attend Oak Grove Elementary School on North Armenia Avenue, Tampa. In fact, Kramer was so alarmed by the shooting, she sat through a five-hour Hillsborough County School Board meeting Tuesday, Jan. 15, with her two antsy children in tow, to find out if the board would agree to hire armed security guards for public elementary schools. It was a sacrifice Kramer willingly made for her own kids as well as all the other children in Hillsborough County schools. As president of the …
Jen Frost
2:00 pm on Wednesday, January 16, 2013
I felt relieved to learn that the HCSB rejected a knee-jerk reaction and adopted a plan for examining better options to increase the safety of our schools. It's a somber reality that we are forced to discuss these types of situations; however, society ultimately has failed to prevent them. In the meanwhile, we can stop the bullying; be accountable for our own and our children’s actions; and … more ›