ASIS International Selects Orlando Elementary School as Winner for Security Enhancements

  • Jul 19, 2011

Palmetto Elementary School, in the Orange County Public School (OCPS) District, has been selected as the winner of ASIS International’s School Security Funding Competition. ASIS International (ASIS), the largest organization for security management professionals worldwide, will award the school $20,000 for security improvements.

Palmetto Elementary School is set in an area of Orlando that has one of the city’s highest crime rates. It serves 1,150 students and is one of 120 elementary schools in the OCPS District—the 10th largest school district in the nation.  Proposed improvements include the addition of both indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras to act as both a deterrent for potential wrongdoers and to enable the school’s security team to identify those who have committed crimes on the school’s large campus.

“We are absolutely thrilled that we were selected by ASIS as the top choice in their school funding competition,” stated Palmetto Elementary Principal Katie Boyd. “The generous award of $20,000 will help us purchase security cameras that will make Palmetto Elementary a safer place for everyone for years to come.” 

Schools within the OCPS District were asked to consider—through a series of short essays—their particular security concerns and how those concerns might impact their students, teachers and administrators. They were asked to describe security risks they would attempt to reduce and/or eliminate, and list specific security enhancements they would purchase with the funding. A committee comprised of security management professionals from the ASIS Greater Orlando Chapter judged the submissions.

“This is the eighth year that ASIS has sponsored this competition, as a way of giving back to the community where our Annual Seminar and Exhibits is held,” says ASIS International Chief Executive Officer Michael Stack. “The aim of the competition is to encourage local schools to assess the security issues that confront their buildings, staff and students every day.”

The ASIS International 57th Annual Seminar and Exhibits (ASIS 2011) will be held Sept. 19-22 (Monday through Thursday) at the Orange County Convention Center. With 700 exhibitors featuring everything from access control to X-ray scanners, along with more than 200 educational sessions, ASIS 2011 is the security industry’s leading event. 

ASIS will recognize Palmetto Elementary School and Principal Boyd at a special awards luncheon on Sept. 22 at the Orange County Convention Center. 

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