Marion County Public Schools leaders said this week they will convene a public work session to discuss whether law enforcement should be allowed to conduct random administrative searches in elementary schools, after Sheriff Billy Woods raised concerns following a recent incident in which a student brought a gun onto a school bus.
During a presentation of the district’s annual Florida Safe Schools Assessment on Sept. 18, board members and staff acknowledged heightened community attention on safety. Woods recently released an emotional video suggesting the district had denied his office the ability to use gun-sniffing dogs on elementary campuses, a claim district officials have said was inaccurate.
Board Chair Lori Conrad confirmed the issue would be addressed publicly. “Before this is limited, we are going to have a work session. We need everybody at the table,” she said…