PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – Both Baker and Putnam County school districts are making security changes following a deadly triple shooting that happened after a high school football game in Jacksonville, where a 19-year-old man was killed and two high school students were wounded.
Now, the school district in Baker County is actively working with police to implement additional security measures, News4Jax learned Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Putnam County School District and the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced in a release that all home football games at Crescent City, Interlachen and Palatka high schools will have heightened security.
Putnam County officials said the increase in security is not due to any specific threat, but is 'in response to increased national and regional violence at high school and college football games."
Putnam County officials said there are no current plans to restrict what bags or purses people can carry into the high school stadiums, however, law enforcement can still search any bag carried onto school property.
The St. Johns County School District had already made changes including not allowing reentry to football games and banning bags larger than a purse.
In Clay County, the school district said it will continue its practice of hiring law enforcement to work during athletic events in addition to school administrators.
Nassau, Bradford and Union counties all told News4Jax its schools have strong security plans in place. A ban on bags inside the stadium during football games at Union County schools was already in effect, and the district also has deputies on duty during events, the superintendent said.