Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced Thursday that the district will hire 75 mental health professionals.
"We will expand by hiring mental health professionals for the benefit of our students to be able to identify mental issues and deviant behavior prior to a tragedy happening," Carvalho said during a town hall meeting with district students and staff.
They move comes in the wake of the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in neighboring Broward County.
"Information is the best tool of prevention against the violence like the one that happened at Marjory Stoneman Douglas,” Carvalho said.
He has been unveiling the enhanced safety and security measures being implemented at Miami-Dade County Schools.
They include:
- Mandatory continued use of student IDs
- Reduced entry points at all schools
- Classroom doors remaining locked at all times
- Police officers being assigned to all middle and high schools
- An additional 100 officers joining the force in the near future
- Random metal detectors
- Random K-9 sweeps continuing at all schools and school events
- Enhanced surveillance and information-sharing
- Including the use of highly specialized software to identify threats on social media