I am asking that the School Board direct the Chief of Safety and Security and Chief of Police to negotiate with municipalities to maintain the current SRO structures, specifically to maintain Margate Police Department in the schools located in the city of Margate. The safety of our children should be non-negotiable and should not be an area in which the district attempts to cut funding. The municipal SRO's enhance continuity and bring community policing and collaboration, and open lines of communication with other police departments to BCPS to enhance student safety.
If there are concerns about standardization, I recommend that BCPS develop standing procedures that SRO must abide by when performing contractual services for BCPS.
At a time when our district is facing financial challenges, it will be significantly more costly to develop a fully functioning police force, administer all of the required training and purchase the necessary equipment.
When we look at the overall cost, Margate accounts for 2% of the total budget- if this is an effort to save money, start with a larger municipality.
IF BCPS decides to move forward, I will be withdrawing my children from BCPS and many other parents have expressed the same.

I am a parent of two students at Margate Elementary School. The plan to remove our SROS only shows how out of touch the School Board is from the communities they serve.

Our SROs know our school campuses, they know our communities and who is in it, and most importantly know our students. Tony Carrecia of Margate has become family - he is trusted and loved by students and staff and his presence is defined more than just by his paycheck.

You would think that after the absolutely nightmare we all lived through On February 14th, 2018 - those in charge of our students would do anything BUT discuss saving money by addressing how we secure our schools. I'm supposed to trust Broward County to keep my kids safe? Because they are the ones who sent in a COWARD who stood outside while children were being MURDERED? Have we not learned how we need to prioritize their safety? Have we not learned - or are the people in power just too GREEDY to care?

Keep our SROs in the schools where they belong, doing the most important job of them all, selflessly protecting our children.

I oppose this we need Margate SROs.

Good morning School Board Members,

My name is Annette Bowden. I am a resident of Margate and a parent of three children at Margate Elementary.

I strongly oppose the plan to eliminate the contracts for our city’s School Resource Officers.

This proposal focuses on cost and consistency, but it ignores what truly keeps our children safe—relationships.

Our SRO, Officer Antonio “Tony” Carrecia, is not just an officer. He is a trusted presence on campus. He knows our children, greets them daily, and builds real connections that make them feel safe.

You cannot replace that with someone unfamiliar with our schools and expect the same outcome.

When a child is scared or in crisis, they don’t turn to a system—they turn to someone they know.

Removing our SRO will break trust, weaken our community, and make students feel less safe, not more.

And I want to be clear—if SROs are removed from Margate schools, many parents, including myself, will seriously consider removing our children from Broward County Public Schools.

Safety is not negotiable.

Please reject this plan and keep our SROs in Margate.

Thank you.