School Board Votes 4-1 to Dissolve Police Department
Responsibility for school safety heads back to the Sheriff's Office
The Clay County School Board voted 4-1 to return school security to the Clay County Sheriff's Office. The decision ends the school district police department, formed in 2019 under then-Superintendent Addison Davis.
The future of the school district police was a focal point in the 2022 election season, with both Erin Skipper and Michele Hanson vowing to analyze if the department should continue to exist.
The department was created in part due to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Act, enacted after the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. The act mandated that armed officers be placed in every Florida school, among other safety provisions. This mandate led to tension between former Sheriff Darryl Daniels and Addison Davis, as many perceived the cost proposed by Daniels to place officers in all schools was excessive.
Davis, always one to take advantage of an opportunity to pad his resume, decided instead to create an internal police force. The Clay County School District Police Department was modeled after the Duval County School Police. Davis was an administrator in Duval County before being elected Superintendent in Clay.
The 20th State Grand Jury later criticized Duval County's school police. The State Grand Jury was convened to investigate the causes that led to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting and determine if those things were happening in other school districts. Duval County was found to be using its police force to underreport crime and violence in Duval schools.
During the Clay County school police department's tenure, it has come under scrutiny for its practices and a perceived lack of transparency. Parents and citizens alike began pushing for the department to be folded back into the Sheriff's Office as early as 2020.
Since 2020, three new board members have been elected. All three, Beth Clark, Erin Skipper, and Michele Hanson, have approached their role as board members with a renewed focus on oversight and decision-making. Previous iterations of the school board were perceived to be a rubber stamp for the initiatives of the Superintendent and special interests.
The concerns about the School District police came to a head last Thursday, and the School Board voted 4-1 to fold the department into the sheriff's office. The lone dissenting vote was Board Member Mary Bolla, who "would have preferred the district retain the police department as the department was doing the job well."
Beth Clark stated the decision was made with the safety and security of the schools in mind, and Erin Skipper agreed and that the decision made via the vote on Thursday was the right one. Michele Hanson said, "This has been a priority of mine for many years and carries over from when I was a teacher. I am very proud of the board's ability to make decisions and stay focused on what is most important: safety and student academic achievement."
Hanson also stated that 100% of her focus will now be on student achievement, specifically "reenvisioning what we do as a county to get kids reading on grade level. It is unacceptable that roughly 48% of Clay County students are not reading on grade level."
Now that the board has voted, the next step will be for the Superintendent and sheriff's office to negotiate a contract for the official transition plan. Clay News & Views will continue coverage of this story as details emerge.