Fire Codes, New Laws,
Hurricanes - Oh My!

MaryAnn MacKenzie, Safety Specialist I and Steven Pollio, Coconut Creek Fire Chief examine safety equipment at Coconut Creek Elementary School.

As you sit at your desk in an office, classroom or other location in the District reading this story, ask yourself this question: Is my workplace safe? Chances are, the answer is yes - that’s due, in large part, to the efforts of the District’s Safety Department. It’s responsible for inspecting every one of our locations to ensure they are as safe as they can be. Just look at the size of our District, the numbers are staggering: 319 separate locations; more than 32 million square feet; 272,000+ students; and only nine Safety Department employees.

“Well, we do have two part-time inspectors, when we need them,” quipped Jerry Graziose, the Director of Safety. “Seriously, my staff and I work hard to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.”

Many employees don’t fully understand the responsibilities of the Safety Department - some get it confused with the Special Investigative Unit/Professional Standards Department. Graziose said the difference is easy to understand.

“There’s a fine line between safety and security,” Graziose said. “My department’s job is to protect students and staff from the [problems related to] facility, programs, weather, things like that - that’s where the Safety Department comes in. For things you’d call 911 for, that’s SIU.”

So what does that mean, exactly? Well, imagine having to inspect every building the District either owns or leases (including charter schools), every office, classroom, hallway, bathroom, storage closet, playground area - every nook and cranny - to make sure there are no safety violations. Many violations found are “minor,” however, all violations are taken seriously and must be addressed.

“The biggest one we see, on a daily basis, is that there’s too much stuff hanging on the walls,” said MaryAnn MacKenzie, a Safety Specialist I, during a recent visit to an elementary school. “We understand teachers like to hang posters, student work and other things, but too much can be a fire hazard.”

McKenzie said that everything the Safety Department does is governed by local, state or federal laws.

“Yeah, there’s a law for everything,” she said. “What we do, we do for a reason.”

As if conducting site inspections for the nation’s sixth largest school district and keeping up with new safety laws isn’t enough, throw in our yearly hurricane season and you’ll understand why our safety personnel are constantly busy. During Hurricane season the Safety Department’s work is front and center - serving as our liaison with county emergency officials, including the Red Cross. Chances are, you’ve seen Graziose on TV - he’s usually at the county’s Emergency Operations Center giving updates to the media. In fact, this past year with our “parade of hurricanes,” he became quite the celebrity.

“Being on TV is okay, but most of what my staff and I do goes on behind the scenes,” Graziose said. “And that’s just fine with us.”

Over the years, Broward’s Safety Department has become the “standard” by which other safety departments are judged. At the forefront nationally, many of the department’s procedures and plans are being emulated.

Graziose said the attention and honors the Safety Department receives are nice, but it’s not why his staff works so hard.

“Our goal is to continue to reduce the number of accidents involving students and staff,” he said. “And we’ve been pretty successful, but are always looking to do more.”

Stranahan High Recognized for
AP Excellence
In a recent report on Advanced Placement (AP) classes and exams released by The College Board, Stranahan High School was singled out for doing a tremendous job. A letter from the board sent to the school read: "Your school has been identified as having more African-American students succeed in AP psychology than any school in the world." Yes, "in the world!"

According to Regina Cameron, Intern Principal at Stranahan High School, the school was thrilled and honored to receive this recognition. "We attribute this success to the hard work and dedication of AP teacher Maria Formaso and her students. Ms. Formaso dedicates time and energy every summer to attending the summer institute for AP teachers," said Ms. Cameron. That effort has paid off in numerous newspaper articles recognizing Ms. Formaso and her students.

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Appointments and Reassignments

December 7, 2004
The Board approved the following appointments: Kenneth Partee, Project Manager-Occupational Health/Environmental Control; Denise Rusnak, Director, Exceptional Student Education; Robert Ceresa, Research Specialist; Lydia Guevara, Educational Specialist I, Foreign Language; Janice Koblick, Curriculum Specialist, Specific Learning Disabilities; Egle Gallagher, Principal, Special Assignment, High School Reform; Deborah Peoples, Assistant Principal, Park Lakes Elementary; Interim Assistant Principals: Calogero Pantano, Deerfield Beach Middle; Michael Walker, Robert C. Markham Elementary; Debra Hubert, Nova High; and Cindy Messing-Pluim, Lauderhill Middle; Project Manager III: Dave Archer, Greg Boardman, Sonjia Coley, and Sharon Zamojski; Project Manager I: James Livingston, and Robert Sharps.

December 21, 2004
The Board approved the following appointment: Brian Faso, Interim Assistant Principal, Miramar High; Terry Deochand, Finance Manager, Broward Education Foundation.

January 18, 2005
The Board approved the following appointments: Christopher Akagbosu, Director, Growth Management; and Sayra Velez Hughes, Executive Director, Foreign Language Education, Bilingual Education and ESOL Program Services Education.

February 1, 2005
The Board approved the following appointments: Mark Mills, Manager, Food & Nutrition Services; and Raul Valero, Manager, Planning & Scheduling.