OVIEDO, Fla. — Security is top of mind for parents as their kids go back to school, with reports of mass shootings still in recent memory.
- 2 Seminole high schools to get new security cameras
- Money for cameras raised by Oviedo churches
- Camera installation to happen within the next 2 months
Oviedo High School parent Gail Geddes said she's excited that her children's school will get more security cameras.
"I think the more security the better. You know, with today's society, unfortunately, that's the way you have to go," Geddes said.
She said that with the recent mass shootings, she worries about her high school junior and senior.
"It happens all the time now. It's sad people are losing their kids," she said.
Oviedo High School and Hagerty High School will be getting new security cameras.
Oviedo churches came together to host a fundraiser in February where the money was raised to buy the cameras.
School Safety Director for the Seminole County Sheriff's Office Capt. Rick Francis said high schools will get up to 100 cameras.
"We were approached by Pastor Mercer from Crosslife, and he wanted to be a part of something with school safety and security," Francis said.
They were supposed to be installed before the first day of school, though Francis said a new upgrade to the camera system pushed back the installation.
"We realized there's some different technologies coming out that are a little bit better, and we wanted to make sure we were putting in the best product in the school," he said.
Francis said with all those cameras, there's no way they can monitor them live all the time. He said they want to implement what he calls a "soft panic button," which will share the video feed with law enforcement in an emergency.
"It immediately ties into our school cameras, so that is a security event that we can share with law enforcement (and) first responders," Francis said.
Geddes said she supports anything that can help keep her kids safer at school.
"I try not to think about it... because it could have been this school, just as much as any of those other schools," Geddes said.
The district said the cameras will be installed at the schools within the next month or two.
The district said that the cameras were a little more expensive than they thought, so for now, they'll only be going to Oviedo's two high schools. Francis said he hopes to update the camera systems at all Seminole County schools soon.