ACCOMPLISHMENTS

We’re excited to announce our collaboration with CERA Software for the launch of the groundbreaking CERA app. This innovative platform facilitates real-time connections between victims and officers, revolutionizing responses to mass shootings.

Stand with Parkland provides grants to communities looking to implement real-time threat management  system.  Apply today!

We celebrated the grand opening of the new SaferWatch Facility, marking a significant advancement in school safety through state-of-the-art monitoring and two-way texting platforms.

Stand with Parkland provides grants to schools and school districts interested in implementing mobile tip and threat reporting solutions. Apply today!

We visited the newly established Office of Gun Violence Protection, and joined hands with Office of Gun Violence Protection Deputy Directors Rob Wilcox and Greg Jackson. We are excited to partner with them in our push for safer schools.

Stand with Parkland acknowledged and appreciated Rep. Dana Trabulsy’s (FL-84) sponsorship of the 2024 School Safety Bill, aimed at evolving the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to enhance student protection.

We were proud to congratulate Darren Norris on becoming Florida’s new Vice Chancellor of School Safety! With his 30 years of law enforcement experience, we are confident in his commitment to prioritizing school safety.

Tony Montalto, President of Stand with Parkland, testified before Congress, emphasizing the importance of maintaining existing firearm violence protections to prevent tragedies, as highlighted by President Tony Montalto.

We applauded President Biden’s Executive Order regarding the safe storage of firearms and engaged in discussions with Fox News about the establishment of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. Safe storage saves lives. Evidence shows that students who carry out K-12 school shootings are using firearms they obtain from the home of a friend or family member.

Supported Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) in his introduction of the TIPS Act, which directs the FBI to share threat tips it receives with local law enforcement to help ensure action is taken. This is an effort to correct one of the many failures that occurred prior to the Parkland school shooting.

FBI TIP LINE: 1-800-225-5324

We stood in solidarity with the efforts of the NYPD School Safety Division to bolster security measures in schools across New York City. With a shared commitment to safeguarding students and educators, Stand With Parkland collaborates closely with law enforcement and community partners to advocate for comprehensive school safety initiatives. By supporting the NYPD School Safety Division’s mission to protect students and prevent tragedies, Stand With Parkland remains dedicated to creating safer learning environments for all.

Stand with Parkland was proud to collaborate in planning and presenting during the National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security to share valuable resources and insights.

Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) proudly announced the establishment of the Congressional Bipartisan School Safety and Security Caucus, a testament to their unwavering commitment to safeguarding our nation’s schools. Inspired by the resilience of communities like Uvalde and Parkland, the Caucus underscores the imperative for proactive measures to protect our children. Every child should be able to pursue education without fear. With reverence for those lost and determination to prevent further tragedies, the caucus served as a platform for constructive dialogue among congressional members and experts.

We’re beyond grateful to have the support of officials dedicated to ending school violence. We thank Rep. Rutherford (FL-05) for supporting STOP School Violence grants and the Eagles Act among other pragmatic school safety legislation.

“Meeting with Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) , co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, makes it seem it’s possible to move legislation regarding school safety forward in a bipartisan manner.” – Tom Hoyer, Treasurer of Stand with Parkland

The establishment of the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention has been our biggest victory since The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act! The Office of Gun Violence prevention is focused on implementing the provisions of the Bipartisan Safer Communites Act as well as helping ensure existing laws are enforced.

“By establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, this administration is ensuring a dedicated and consistent approach to this grave issue.” —Tony Montalto, father of Gina and President of Stand with Parkland.

Jimmy Buffett’s heartfelt tribute during his show, acknowledging the Parkland tragedy and Gina’s birthday, touched our hearts deeply. His choice to honor the children through music made the evening truly special. 

“Jimmy was not only an iconic performer, but someone who used his music to uplift others in difficult times. Shortly after the Parkland tragedy, he invited my family to meet him at one of his shows and stayed in touch — becoming a supporter of SWP and dear friend.” —Tony Montalto

We partnered with the Cybersecurity Infrastructure and Security Agency (CISA) to host webinars on school safety training, technical assistance centers, and cybersecurity awareness.

Holding walkthroughs of the grounds of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school has been painful but necessary. 

“Having legislators… see what failed, to be in the building to see the results of that…The more people we have trying to solve the issues, the more things we will put in place to protect our students and teachers.” — Tony Montalto

It was an honor to meet with Neera Tanden, the new Director of the Domestic Policy Council for the Biden Administration. By working with the DPC team, we hope to prevent further tragedies by working with anyone who shares our goal of safer schools for America’s students and teachers.

We proudly stand behind Florida Senator Rick Scott’s School Guardian Act, a crucial step towards ensuring every child’s safety in schools nationwide. After the heartbreaking tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, we’ve tirelessly advocated for measures like this to prevent future senseless violence. With the School Guardian Act, trained law enforcement officers will be stationed in every K-12 school, providing a shield of protection for our children and educators. No family should endure the unimaginable pain of losing a loved one to school violence.

We congratulated the inaugural officers of the Florida School Safety Specialist Association, including its president, Darren Norris! Their dedication to ensuring the safety of our schools is commendable and deeply appreciated. Here’s to a future where every child can learn and thrive in a secure environment!

Stand With Parkland advocated for various bipartisan school safety bills, including the ALYSSA Act and the SOS Act, to enhance safety measures in schools nationwide.

Stand with Parkland’s Tony Montalto and April Schentrup were panelists at the 2022 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security to discuss with fellow leaders strategies for enhancing the safety of our schools.

Throughout the negotiation process for this bill, we were in DC meeting with senators from both sides of the aisle to advocate for our school safety goals. And it is through this uniquely inclusive, non-partisan approach that we did our part to help get this bill across the finish line.

Following testimony by Tony Montalto, President of Stand with Parkland, the Florida House and Senate voted unanimously to pass this bill that we were proud to advocate for. It updates the school safety law originally passed after the tragic 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. This comprehensive package will enhance the mental health and safety of students and families, including requiring school resource officers to complete mental health intervention training. It also mandates that the Department of Education publish school safety data, ensuring that school safety advocates have a robust toolkit in order to improve the safety of the community.

One of our core pillars is creating and bolstering the mental health resources available to students. This law does exactly that by requiring district school boards to designate a mental health coordinator and allocates more funding and resources for mental health assistance. This issue is especially timely given the growing number of American students struggling with mental health issues. Watch video.

In Florida, SB 590 – School Safety became law on July 1, 2021. The law includes the establishment of a parental right to timely notification of threats at school. This provision was part of Stand with Parkland’s Parents Need to Know initiative conceived by Board member Phil Schentrup and his wife April, after their daughter, Carmen, was taken in the Parkland school massacre. We were proud to be part of the team that crafted this comprehensive law that addresses ways to make schools safer for all students and staff members, including requiring school safety officers to complete mental health Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) and changes to the handling of students who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Read more highlights about the law’s provisions here.

Stand with Parkland realizes that today’s digital environment can be difficult for parents to understand. In order to help remove the mystery, we created a short video and a link on our Resources page to help.

February 2020 was closed out with a day of Digital Threat Assessment training just a mile or so from where our tragedy took place. Stand with Parkland partnered with other organizations to have the team from Safer Schools Together train over 75 people from schools and federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies on how to use this vital tool to get kids the help they need before violence strikes.

Stand with Parkland collaborated with U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center on training sessions using Behavioral Threat Assessment to proactively prevent school violence. Over 4,000 lawmakers, school officials, mental health professionals, and law enforcement representatives throughout the country attended these sessions. This latest two-day event was held close to home in Miami, FL.

Championed SchoolSafety.gov, a one-stop-shop for those charged with the safety of America’s schools to find information on a multitude of topics: implementing social/emotional learning techniques, changing the culture and climate of a school, checking the security plan with the readiness assessment tool, and more. The tool can also help schools find federal grant dollars to help pay for the changes. This effort to build this Clearinghouse of Best Practices required close collaboration with the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Justice, and Education. The Trump administration coordinated this incredible focusing of resources.

Met with both Democratic and Republican members of Congress in Washington, DC in February 2020 to discuss ways to improve school safety and prevent future shootings. SWP asked both Senate and House members to pass the Eagles Act and Senators to hold votes on House-passed firearms legislation or create new proposals that could be acted upon.

Traveled across the country promoting the new report from the U.S. Secret Service’s National Threat Assessment Center, which will help communities and administrations better spot a troubled person and get them help before an attack occurs.

Participated in the beta testing of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse website designed to provide educators and administrators access to “best practices” regarding school safety.

Launched a new initiative called 5 Questions Every Family Should Ask at the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

Met with members of the President’s Domestic Policy Council and other administrative officials in September 2019 to advocate for public school safety reforms: securing our nation’s schools, improved mental health screening and support, and responsible firearms ownership.

Wrote an Op-Ed in Newsweek and canvassed the halls of Capitol Hill to urge Congress to work with the President on passing bipartisan legislation that will help reduce gun violence in August 2019.

​Testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs to make schools safer in July 2019. Tom Hoyer and Max Schachter called for more funding for school security, federal research of school threat assessments, better sharing of information between law enforcement and other agencies, and discussions of “red flag laws.”

Attended the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Hearing on H.R. 8 “The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019” in February 2019. Afterward, Stand with Parkland held a press conference with Everytown and a bipartisan group of Congressional members in support of passing H.R. 8.

• Created the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission 

• Established the Office of Safe Schools within the Department of Education

• Created the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program 

• Enabled extreme risk protection orders 

• Prohibited a person younger than 21 from purchasing a firearm

• Banned bump stocks

Need to see if we can use this photo

Met President Trump and worked with administration officials to give input regarding recommendations in the Federal Commission on School Safety report, which was released in December 2018.

Successfully lobbied for passage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act in Florida. It was signed into law by Governor Rick Scott (R) in March 2018.