The Miami Beach commission today approved an ordinance authorizing the placement of police officers in all of its public schools beginning next school year, which will begin at the end of August.
As reported by this city in a statement, the measure is the result of a memorandum of understanding with the School Board of Miami-Dade County and allows the police presence in the six public schools in Miami Beach, thus becoming the first city of this county to launch an initiative of this kind.
As the mayor of the city, Dan Gelber, pointed out, the desire of this municipality is that the police force “is integrated into the fabric of the school community and is a positive and reassuring force for our youth,” according to the statement.
In turn, the Miami-Dade County Superintendent, Alberto Carvalho, who was present at the session, welcomed the approval of the measure, which “facilitates the resolution of problems, the prevention of crime and the critical dialogue related to the appropriate behavior of students and campus security. ”
Although the authorities have not specified how many officers will be stationed in the schools, the Miami Herald, quoting a spokeswoman for the city, reports that as a result of this initiative the next academic year there will be an armed officer in each of the schools.
The measure responds to the demands of some authorities and parents to strengthen the safety of schools after the recent shootings in Parkland (Florida), where 17 people died, and Santa Fe (Texas), which ended the lives of others ten.
After the Florida massacre, President Donald Trump has even defended arming some teachers from schools as a way to reinforce the safety of students, a proposal that has generated great controversy among American public opinion.
So far this year, 22 massive shootings have been recorded and several strata of society insist on the need to apply urgent measures to establish greater control over the sale of weapons and avoid these tragedies.
