Safety & Security

​Officers:

James P. Kelly, Esq. - Executive Vice President, Safety & Security Division

James P. Kelly, Esq.
Background and Experience
James Kelly has a B.A. in Criminal Justice from Florida Atlantic University and J.D. from Western New England University. He has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1985.
 
Mr. Kelly is a “practitioner” in the area of School Safety. For twenty-three years he served as the Chief of Police for the School District of Palm Beach County (SDPBC), Florida, which is the eleventh largest school district in the nation (over 180,000 students who speak 152 languages and dialects). In this role, Mr. Kelly was responsible for the safety and security of students, employees, volunteers, and campus visitors as well as the security of all district facilities.
 
Philosphy
​Using a wholistic approach to school safety, Mr. Kelly developed, implemented, and maintained a model school safety program. He used a combination of physical security, prevention /intervention / diversion programs, partnerships with other agencies, policies/procedures, and training (in the above areas), to accomplish the ultimate goal of providing a safe and nurturing educational environment.
 
Mr. Kelly, in collaboration with the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), provided regional training for all School Resource Officers (municipal and county law enforcement officers), and school administrators from the 67 counties in Florida. This training focused on the development of successful working relationships between school administrators and SROs that enhanced school safety. Further, Mr. Kelly provided statewide “Train the Trainer” training for Florida School Districts. This training focused on the development of partnerships and the building of relationships with municipal and county agencies for the purpose of creating emergency preparedness plans that ensured consistent responses throughout a county. The concept was to have “One plan and One response” regardless of the number of municipal, county, and state agencies involved.
Accomplishments
  • Creation and development of a model School Police Department

  • Creation and implementation of the SDPBC “Prepared for Action” crisis management plan for all schools and facilities

  • Creation and operation of the Palm Beach County Youth Court which services all police departments and the State Attorney’s office in Palm Beach County and diverts over 5000 juvenile offenders from the Criminal Justice System each year.  Most juvenile arrests are made in the community, not schools. This Youth Court enabled many juvenile offenders to stay in school and avoid the stigma of an arrest record.

  • Creation of a Training Center for instructional and non-instructional employees regarding programs and skills contributing to a safe and nurturing educational environment from classroom management, to anti-bullying, to verbal de-escalation, to building trust with students, etc.

  • Creating and implementing standards for the design of new and renovated school facilities that incorporated, among other things, CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) training for all Architects bidding on school construction projects.  Mr. Kelly was also able to accomplish the inclusion of intrusion alarms, cameras, card access, portable radios, and repeaters for radio communication into educational specifications (Ed Specs) for all new construction and renovation of district schools and facilities. 
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  • Creation of a training program for school administrators, teachers, and staff in the SDPBC called V.I.T.A.L. (Violence Intervention Techniques and Language).  There are currently over 6,000 administrators, teachers, and staff from all Elementary and Secondary schools that are trained in verbal de-escalation skills, non-aggressive restraint techniques, and the documentation of the use of said techniques.  They respond daily to potential or actual aggressive/violent events on a campus.  Every campus has at least one VITAL Team of five members (High Schools can have up to five or six teams) who also play a leadership role in the school’s emergency preparedness plan.
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