MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said parents of students who attend schools in his district should have peace of mind after dropping their children off at school as security is a top priority.
"We've added an additional 1,800 high definition security cameras," he said.
While the district provides the school resource officers, other area organizations, like the Miami Children's Initiative, foster relationships between the students and law enforcement.
"What you see is us welcoming the kids back on the first day of school," Miami police Commander Omar Mitchell said.
"We get police and community leaders just to rally and let them know that we want to have a successful year and they're not by themselves," said Latousha Daniels, president and CEO of the Miami Children's Initiative.
This made for an exciting welcome back for students at Miami Northwestern Senior High School.
"Everybody's rallying around our staff to make sure they know this is a welcome environment," Principal Wallace Aristide said.
Just days ago before the kickoff of the school year, a threat was called into Miami Northwestern Senior High School. That threat was not believed to be credible, but was an opportunity for police to put their new school safety features in their command center to the test.
Now, students can get to know the names and faces of the officers who are committed to their safety.
"We're here and we're committed to supporting them in everything that we do," Mitchell said.