Sarasota County school Board seeks safety head

With no discussion, and missing School Board Chairwoman Caroline Zucker, the School Board of Sarasota County voted unanimously to take firearms away from the district’s director of safety and security. And what was traditionally a law-enforcement role moves closer to an administrative position.

Sarasota County Schools Chief of Police Lawrence Leon accepted a position with the Palm Beach County School District this summer. But, his replacement will see a different job description than Leon did seven years ago. The new position won’t have the title of chief of police, and will report directly to Sarasota Schools Chief Operating Officer Scott Lempe.

The new job requirements listed in the description presented to School Board members Tuesday, Aug. 7, eliminate law-enforcement experience from previous documents, and don’t require candidates to have certification from the Florida Police Training Commission.

Those changes mirror the duties of the new director of safety and security position, who will yield criminal investigation and school resource oversight to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Training in firearm and emergency vehicle use isn’t necessary for the new candidate.

The director of safety and security will instead direct oversight of school emergency -management operations. The candidate selected will serve as the key figure linking public safety communications networks and Sarasota County emergency-management agencies.

Sarasota County Emergency Management Chief Ed McCrane has stressed the importance of coordination with schools, which serve as shelters during the threat of large storm surges, during disaster preparation and relief.

Also, Sarasota County plans to build a new emergency operations center and perform a major upgrade to local emergency agencies’ communication system, steps toward consolidating emergency operations.
The director of safety and security’s salary has not been determined, and the job listing has not yet been posted, according to a School Board spokeswoman.