MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The Miami-Dade County School Board approved an item Wednesday that authorizes the superintendent to include clear language on how officers should respond to an active assailant situation in school policy or in the Miami Dade Schools Police standard operating procedures.
The policy was proposed by school board member Mari Tere Rojas during the school board's January meeting.
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"As we continue to review the recent report by the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, it is imperative that we maintain a proactive approach when it comes to the safety and security of our students and workforce," Rojas said in a statement.
The safety commission released its initial report this month, which called for active-shooter training for law enforcement officers and a clear policy that states officers shall enter an area or structure to save lives in the event of an active assailant situation.
Former Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel has said that he crafted a "may" provision in the agency's active-shooter policy because he wanted to give deputies discretion and avoid a "suicide response."
The policy was heavily criticized after the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland as surveillance video showed then-school resource Deputy Scot Peterson taking cover as the gunman was killing his victims.
The item comes a month after Rojas proposed another item that authorized the superintendent to establish a task force to review the findings of the safety commission's report and present any other recommendations to the school board by May.