OKEECHOBEE — In light of the tragedy that occurred on Sept. 4 at Apalachee High School in Georgia, it came as no surprise that school safety was discussed at the school board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Superintendent Dylan Tedders wants to assure everyone that every single threat made towards county schools is taken seriously, be it a social media post, a written letter, or a verbal statement. Tedders stated, “If they post something that interferes with the environment they’re in, that makes children afraid to come to school, there’s going to be serious consequences.”

Additionally, he reminds parents to be vigilant: “Don’t be afraid to check that backpack. Don’t be afraid to check that technology. Students know how to hide technology from their parents and they know how to hide things from their parents. It’s a fact. So you should have frequent checks because we can’t violate somebody’s rights every day coming through that door. We have to have a reason to be able to search that backpack.”

To children who have made threats in the past or plan to make threats in the future using the excuse, “It was just a joke." Tedders warns that the joke is over.

So what security measures do Okeechobee County Schools have in place in the event of an active shooter situation?

In a previous article, "School Board considering new active shooter alert system", posted by Lake Okeechobee News it was stated that Okeechobee School Board was looking into a new alert system called CENTEGIX CrisisAlert™. Since that article was written the school board decided to move forward with the decision to use CENTEGIX in local schools. CENTEGIX provides a device that can be worn around the neck of all staff that will enable them to simply push a button and alert authorities immediately in the event of an active shooter situation. It is a more efficient system than the one that was being used previously. If you would like to know more about CENTEGIX visit www.centegix.com/

Anita Suarez Nunez, a parent in the community, recently made a post on the Facebook Group The Scoup in Okeechobee (News) asking other parents and community members if they thought that our schools were ready for metal detectors. The post quickly gained traction and received over 100 comments in less than 24 hours.

Autumn Hack responded: “Clear backpacks and metal detectors 100% necessary.”

Missy Conroy wrote: “Hated the idea before, but I agree with you now. There’s been too many. Put the detectors in.”

Ariana Torres responded: “Why not if it’s only gonna help everyone be more safe.”

Some of the responses were more thought-provoking and in some cases, sad. Stacey Schwier Lowe said, “Crazy! My son woke up this morning and said quote ‘I’m almost afraid to go to school anymore because of all the recent shootings...’ There are a lot of weird people at school...It’s heartbreaking and sad that my son has the fear of going to a place where he should feel safe! I am truly thankful that we do have some resource officers and staff to help protect our children.”

When asked where Okeechobee County stands on adding metal detectors to local schools, Tedders explained that they have been looked into but with the way access points are set up at some of the schools, having a stationary metal detector would not work. The school board is looking into all of the options available from wands to units that can be picked up and moved from site to site. He explained that surrounding districts have already tried them and some decided that metal detectors were not going to work for them. For the time being Okeechobee School Board is still looking into the options available and observing how they have worked, or failed to work, at other schools before moving forward with the decision to use them.