The Okaloosa County School District opened its doors Monday for the 2025-26 school year with enhanced safety measures and comprehensive emergency preparedness protocols in place.

• During a school board workshop held Monday morning, Superintendent Marcus Chambers emphasized that safety remains the district’s top priority as students and staff returned to campuses.

“Safety is paramount to everything that we do,” Chambers said. “And on this first day, there’s so much that we can’t share because it’s a safety matter. But there are some things that we can share, and we talk all the time that safety is the number one priority – and that’s not a cliche.”

School Safety Specialist Danny Dean provided the board with an overview of the district’s safety initiatives, detailing the comprehensive approach taken by the Office of Safe Schools.

Dean said the office oversees safety, security and emergency management operations for all public schools in Okaloosa County, including both district and charter schools. His team includes professionals with expertise in physical security, school safety, emergency management, harm prevention, threat management, fire and life safety, public safety and security technologies.

• “Together we’re united by a single mission to safeguard our school communities through a comprehensive and coordinated approach,” Dean said.

Over the summer, Dean said the district conducted extensive safety preparations. All school-based administrators received in-depth safety and security briefings to ensure they could lead a culture of safety at their schools.

According to Dean, the district completed comprehensive security risk assessments of every district and charter school in Okaloosa County. Campus tours were conducted for public safety agencies, allowing first responders to familiarize themselves with school layouts and collaborate on response protocols.

Dean said a family reunification functional exercise was conducted with the district’s reunification team. The simulation tested the district’s ability to respond to an off-campus evacuation and safely reunify students with their families.

• “Practicing this critical component of emergency response planning ensures that we’re prepared should the need ever arise to carry out a smooth, secure, and coordinated reunification process,” Dean said.

According to Dean, the district’s security infrastructure includes single-point entry systems at each campus, ensuring all visitors enter through controlled access points during school hours. Access control systems allow schools to monitor who enters and exits buildings.

Dean said integrated video surveillance systems are linked directly to the real-time crime center with intelligent video analytics, which enhances situational awareness and reduces emergency response time. Critical response mapping provides first responders with accurate visual layouts of school campuses.

Each school has multidisciplinary harm prevention and threat management teams to support proactive threat management and early intervention, Dean said. Redundant mass notification systems ensure critical information can be communicated to staff, students and first responders during emergencies.

Dean said the district uses an all-hazards approach to emergency planning built around five core phases: prevention, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Each campus regularly participates in emergency drills tailored to the unique layout and student population of that school.

• “All campus drills must begin with the clear announcement stating this is a drill. The purpose of this is to minimize potential distress and to ensure that all participants understand the context,” Dean said.

Students, faculty and staff are trained in standard response protocols and active assailant response procedures, Dean said. The district closely monitors drill documentation to ensure compliance.

Dean said in emergency situations, families of impacted schools will receive notifications through the district’s mass communication systems via phone calls and text messaging. The district asks that parents remain calm and allow school officials time to provide accurate updates.

“In the event of a lockdown, we ask that parents do not come to the school as in doing so may interfere with emergency response efforts,” Dean said. The district encourages families to rely on verified updates from official sources such as the school district and sheriff’s office rather than social media.

“In today’s digital age where information spreads rapidly through social media, we strongly encourage parents and guardians to rely on accurate verified updates from official sources such as the school district and the sheriff’s office,” Dean said.

• Dean said all students are trained in the use of the FortifyFL anonymous reporting app, which allows them to report concerns confidentially and safely.

Dean expressed gratitude for the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and their school resource officer program, which ensures every school is served by a full-time dedicated law enforcement professional.

“A special thank you to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office for their unwavering commitment to school safety. Their award-winning school resource officer program ensures that every school is served by a full-time dedicated law enforcement professional,” Dean said.

• “We are confident in our layered security systems, and we are committed to transparency and communication when safety events occur,” Dean said.

Dean said parents and guardians can visit the district’s safety webpage for more information, resources and updates throughout the year.