FLEMING ISLAND – Arming teachers to improve school safety should be a last resort, according to School Superintendent Addison Davis who hosted the first of seven Listen and Learn community meetings Monday night at Fleming Island High.

In an effort to reach out to local communities to address concerns about school safety and security, Davis will visit seven Clay County schools to give parents, students and faculty an opportunity to ask questions and understand what the school district’s plan is moving forward in the wake of the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting that killed 17 people.

Despite many parents leaving the meeting wishing for more to be done, they left understanding the challenges the school district faces.

“I’m back and forth on my feelings,” said Crystal Wadley, a mother of a freshman at Fleming Island High. “I can see that the budget to do everything just isn’t there but our kids still deserve safety.”

Davis began the community meeting with an anecdote that left many shaken in the school cafeteria which had about 50 attendees. He explained that about a week and a half ago, he sat on a panel with other Northeast Florida superintendents, officers from multiple sheriff’s departments, mental health agencies and students and their parents to discuss school safety. The 20 students in attendance were asked to raise their hands if they felt safe in school. According to Davis, not a single student raised their hand.

“As a superintendent, sitting in that seat in front of those at that forum, I was disheartened,” Davis said. “I began to immediately reflect, and even though those students weren’t from Clay County, it was still an indication that if they felt unsafe, then I know our students in Clay County feel the same way.

“As superintendent, I own that,” Davis said.

Davis said student safety is priority No. 1 with the Clay County School District. According to Davis, safety occurs not only by installing security features such as fences around portables, single points of entry, around-the-clock surveillance and more, but also by taking an inclusive approach to ensure every school is a psychologically-safe place every day. He also urged parents to be more active in monitoring their children’s behavior and actions.

“As parents, we own this and we should be actively engaged every step of the way with our kids,” Davis said. “I don’t need you to be your kid’s best friend. I need you to be the best parent.”

Davis announced that Gov. Rick Scott approved $400 million for safety and security although Clay County will only receive $2.5 million of this, which according to Davis, simply isn’t enough.

“While I appreciate this as a superintendent, this is underfunded,” Davis said. “We do not have the funding to [do what we want to do].”

After Davis’ 30-minute presentation, he fielded questions, which ranged from portable classroom safety to arming teachers to resource officers and more. Davis sees arming teachers as a last resort option, citing that he’d rather have men and women in green – a reference to the color of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office uniforms – than teachers who already do so much.

“Our teachers and educators should be armed with additional money, armed with inspiration and they should be armed with the resources they need to educate every one of our children,” a Davis comment that was met with resounding applause from the audience. “They should not be armed with a weapon.”

In regards to supplying additional resource officers to schools, it’s not something in the budget for the sheriff’s office. Budget aside, Davis assured the audience the school district is working to install fences around all 900 Clay County portables and work on ensuring school visitors have only one point of entry.

Some parents left that night feeling optimistic about what’s to come while others felt that still, nothing had been done.

“That was crap,” Leigh Ann Lunsford, a parent of a junior at Fleming Island High, said following Davis’ presentation. “I heard a lot of ‘we are going to do’ but not a lot of ‘we have done.’”

“How much longer until some real action takes place?” Lunsford asked.

Lunsford’s son, Evan said this is his first year in a public high school after having been in virtual school for ninth and tenth grade. He said he feels extremely unsafe.

“My first year in a public high school and Parkland happens, and then Maryland, and it makes me wonder if I made the right choice,” Evan Lunsford said.

Others left feeling more hopeful about Davis’ plans.

“I don’t think they have a choice this time,” Crystal Wadley said, in reference to something being done about student safety. “It seems like they are trying to make work what they can but it’s tough to tell. There’s a lot of vague answers.”

For dates and times on Davis’ upcoming Listen and Learn community meetings, you can visit the Clay County school district website.