The district also is experimenting with new security systems. At Riviera Middle School in St. Petersburg, for example, a pilot program will begin later this year to test a system where the school gets rid of traditional locks and replace them with key-card locks for the staff. The pilot will include use of closed-circuit televisions. This could make the school safer, officials said, because the locks can be reprogrammed if keys get lost and the principal can control which parts of campus are open to visitors. Principal Al Bennett said the new lock system will complement other new programs he is starting in his first year as Riviera's leader, including a parent patrol and peer mediation.
Middle school is the last chance.
Bailey, the director of psychological services, is pleased that so many programs are under way. But there is no question that not all students are being reached and more could be done. Clearwater High School principal Nick Grasso knows that a school culture that encourages students to talk openly with teachers and administrators is more important than all the police presence in the world. His school has 64 new cameras, new security fences and an expanded picture ID program, but he's more excited about peer mediation, violence prevention training for teachers and student patrols. If you want to run a safe school, you have to create a climate where kids feel like they will be heard.