Nearly 100,000 students in Lee County return to school next week, and tens of thousands more when you add Collier, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades and Hendry counties. Sadly, for some, learning’s not top of mind. Safety and security is priority. Rick Parfitt, Chief of Security for the School District of Lee County gives himself an 8 out of 10. And that’s before he establishes a new standard response protocol or SRP. He said, “We’re standardizing the language, on those type of emergencies on how we will lockdown, lockout, evacuate our schools.” LINK: Lee County School Safety Information A critical element of success is the introduction of threat assessment teams. Their job is to review and make recommendations on potential threats. Lori Brooks is the director for school counseling and mental health with the School District of Lee County. The essential questions for her are, “are you making a threat, or do you pose a threat, that’s really the essential question.” And then there is the increased presence of mental health professionals in the schools. “Our young people even our adults are not as connected human being to human being as they used to be,” Brooks said. “We’re all doing this and it’s more the social media and the disconnect, which ironically increases the anxiety and the depression levels in our individuals.” We asked Parfitt if he considers the kids going to school next week to be safer? “They’re safer in their schools than a lot of their neighborhoods and a lot of other activities they do, so yes, they are.” They want to spend 80 percent of their time, money and energy on prevention – the rest on reaction. They hope with more emphasis on safety from the start, they can lessen the need to react to any kind of emergency. Mental Health Submit Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.