ORLANDO, Fla. —School safety and security is top of mind for parents as representatives of OCPS schools in five municipalities are currently in contract negotiations to staff school resource officers.

What You Need To Know

  • The state's Guardian Program is currently only in some Orange County Charter Schools

  • OCPS urges parents of 30 schools to ask local law enforcement to work with the district

  • Negotiations between OCPS and five cities for school safety next school year continue

The local municipalities that are engaged in the negotiations are Apopka, Ocoee, Windermere, Winter Garden, and Winter Park.

An e-mail was sent to parents this week from the school district explaining the staffing costs, and why the school guardian program may be the answer. District officials prefer not to go that route.

The Apopka Police Department responded to the district’s email that also urged parents to contact the law enforcement agencies involved to come to an agreement with the district, saying it was a scare tactic and was sent after the Wisconsin school shooting. Which in their minds was a way to pressure parents.

Officials with the school district said their e-mail never referenced the school shooting, and that the e-mail was drafted before the shooting took place.

Meanwhile, parents and students are uncertain how to handle the now public negotiations.

Waiting for his daughter outside of Apopka High School, Luis Mejias is waiting to see what school safety will look like in the future at Apopka High. School safety is a major priority for him.

“I think about it every day, believe it or not,” Mejias said. “My daughter not walking out of school, or God forbid something happen to her, and I can’t run to her aid is a big fear.”

Currently, the school is staffed with law enforcement from the Apopka Police Department. But, the district says it has spent $17 million more than it received from the state for the safety and security program.

The district says an additional $2 million is needed to fund the demands of 30 schools in Apopka, Ocoee, Winter Park, Winter Garden, and Windermere.

“It’s unfortunate, but it’s always going to come down to money,” Mejias said. “I do think that law enforcement and the county can figure out something so that no matter what it is, it should be there for the safety of our kids.”

Apopka Police released a statement on current negotiations with the district that read in part, “During the previous three-year agreement, agency costs rose by approximately 45%, while OCPS offered only a 20% increase in reimbursement. Entering into another three-year contract under similar terms would only exacerbate the financial strain, making future negotiations even more difficult.”

In Orange County, the guardian program already exists in some charter schools.