TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)--In the wake of the deadly massacre in Newtown, Connecticut, school superintendents across Florida are hoping to beef up on security.
Leon County Superintendent, Jackie Pons and Sheriff Larry Campbell sent a letter to Governor Rick Scott asking for state money. The goal is to add more armed school resource officers to elementary schools.
"We certainly know that having that individual on campus could make a difference, people will know they're on campus, they can also teaches classes, they can provide safety courses for our students related to walking to and from school bus stops biking, everything," said Pons.
Some parents like Beth Wilde agree, more officers are needed for protection of their kids.
"Seeing police and seeing someone thats there to protect my child definitely makes me feels safer and it helps to know that my child knows has someone to go to if they need to," said Wilde.
But it'll cost the state--Pons said leon county currently spends $2 million on officers for middle and highschools, and the couple they have at elementary schools. But he said those schools need more.
"When it comes to school safety and it comes to protecting our children, I don't think you can put a dollar amount on that," said Pons.
But some parents say they aren't sure if it'll really benefit the kids.
"Are they really needed or is it just a false sense of security and another layer of perceived protection. I don't know," said Cynthia Gaitanis-St.John.
Gaitanis-St.John proposed adding metal detectors would help and could be cheaper. As for the governor, he's stated he's looking forward to working with the superintendents to keep children safe.
