LEON Co., FL (WTXL) - Leon County Schools are working to make sure your kids are safe in ways you may not even realize.
The District Security Center for LCS is a 24-hour facility that monitors security alarms and cameras, fire alarms, school bus locations, weather, and more for every single school and facility in the district.
John Hunkiar, the Chief of Safety, Security and Emergency Management for LCS, explains that prior to 2009, several different companies handled the security for the schools and when the district closed for the day, so did the communication between them.
Since it's implementation, Hunkiar says the center has helped stop several burglaries as well as provide information to concerned parents. The center hosts a mass communication system that allows them to target a variety of demographics. For example, the center can contact the parents of every middle schooler in the district or even just the guardians of 3rd graders at a single school.
Parents have the ability to call to the center as well with their security questions or if they are looking to get information during an emergency. That number is 850-922-KIDS(5437).
The Leon County school district isn't its only focus either. Hunkiar says the center is lead for the panhandle's "Region 2 Domestic Security Task Force." It houses the safety and security plans for 150 schools throughout nine counties. In an emergency, they would be the contact for those districts.
Another system keeps students and drivers safe while on the bus. The center is able to track every school bus and can alert drivers of unsafe weather conditions as well as incidents on the roads that could cause delays getting kids to and from school.
Staff monitor activities at the schools not only when students are in seats but when they're practicing on the fields and home for the summer. So as your students make the move back to school in the coming weeks, Leon County Schools will continue to make sure they are safe.
