Parkland father turns grief into action with first-of-its-kind national school safety dashboard

PARKLAND, Fla. – A Parkland begetter who turned calamity into enactment is acceptable to unveil a caller instrumentality designed to assistance parents crossed the state support their children harmless astatine school.

On Thursday, Max Schachter and his nonprofit Safe Schools for Alex officially volition motorboat the School Safety Dashboard — the archetypal nationalist online assets of its kind, offering user-friendly, transparent information information for each nationalist schoolhouse and schoolhouse territory successful America, wherever accusation is available.

Schachter founded Safe Schools for Alex aft his 14-year-old son, Alex, was killed successful the 2018 wide shooting astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Since then, he’s been connected a ngo to forestall akin tragedies —and helium believes this dashboard is simply a large measurement forward.

He spoke with Local 10’s Christina Vazquez astir the dashboard connected Tuesday.

“So that they tin beryllium advocates for schoolhouse information and they tin enactment with their schools to marque their schools safer but it is not lone parents, it is for schoolhouse committee members, schoolhouse committee members don’t person entree to dashboards arsenic they should truthful connected Thursday we are launching a archetypal of its benignant schoolhouse information dashboard successful each authorities successful the state truthful we are truly excited,” helium said.

The dashboard provides elaborate information connected a scope of issues, including incidents involving violence, drugs, weapons, bullying, and schoolhouse subject specified arsenic suspensions and expulsions. It allows parents and stakeholders to comparison schools and districts, helping place trends and areas successful request of attention.

The level was built with enactment from the University of Florida and Cleartelligence, and received backing from the Bureau of Justice Assistance for its Florida-based aviator program.

“Transparency is the instauration of trust,” Schachter said. “If schools aren’t accurately reporting what’s happening, they’re not genuinely prioritizing the information and information of students and staff.”

He added that the dashboard gives families the tools to inquire questions, request change, and marque informed decisions astir wherever their children learn.

The tract — SchoolSafetyDashboard.org — aims to spell beyond numbers. It’s meant to spark conversations and promote collaboration betwixt families, educators, and lawmakers to trim schoolhouse unit and make supportive learning environments.

“Children cannot larn if they bash not consciousness safe,” Schachter said. “This instrumentality is simply a wake-up telephone for communities crossed the state and a telephone to action.”

With this launch, Schachter hopes to animate a caller level of accountability and advocacy successful schoolhouse information nationwide.

Related stories:

• ‘A fearfulness movie’: Parkland begetter Max Schachter describes harrowing sojourn to 1200 building

• Congressional leaders, Parkland families sermon schoolhouse information aft circuit of 1200 building

• 5 years aft Parkland shooting: Are our schools immoderate safer?

• Grieving parents proceed to attest during Cruz’s decease punishment trial

• Parkland schoolhouse shooting testimony: Max Schachter

Copyright 2025 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.