FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With reports of anti-Semitic incidents on the rise across the state of Florida, Jewish day schools are getting some help through a new wave of funding.
Gov. Rick Scott on Tuesday visited Brauser Maimonides Academy near Fort Lauderdale, one of 35 private Jewish schools in Florida that will benefit from a $645,000 security grant.
Lawmakers passed the measure earlier this year.
The money will be used to install security cameras, bulletproof glass and alarm systems and provide security officers at the facilities to help thwart potential attacks and keep students safe.
"We've seen the threats in these schools over the last year," Scott said. "It's wrong, it's disgusting. No one should be worried about going to a school and wondering if they're safe or not."
"We want to make sure our students get a safe space to learn every single day -- that they can come to school without fear, so for us it's a big issue," Rabbi Yossi Kastan of Brauser Marimonides Academy said.
The governor said he hopes lawmakers can eventually provide more money for security measures at other learning facilities at mosques and public schools across Florida.