LITHIA, Fla. — A group of Moms from Lithia want to take school safety into their own hands.
"All of us are disgusted, everybody feels overwhelmed and feeling like we’ve seen too many,” said Jessica Coffman, a mother of four.
After the school shooting in Parkland, several of them took to social media and expressed their sadness and anger.
"We're sitting there and we’re talking about it and some of us are getting angry, and some of us are in tears over the ignorance of it all and the loss,” said Coffman. "We got together and we talked about, well what can we do?"
They decided to start a non-profit organization called Coalition for School Safety where they raise money for school safety.
They are starting at Newsome High school, the same place where Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Deputies did active shooter training just a few months ago.
They’d like to add more PA systems to the school, windows tint and window covers, plus extra security cameras. Those are extremely costly though.
"$60,000 approximately so that’s why we're trying to really push fundraising right now,” said Tessa Fullerton, a mom of two.
They would like to focus on mental health and early intervention at local elementary and middle schools too.
"As we’re in the Elementary level, and the lunchroom and we’re seeing the kids, you can already start seeing the isolation, the kids that are different and are getting separated from the crowd,” said Coffman.
They believe if they can bridge that gap early, it will hopefully change the culture down the road.
The group is looking for more parents to help spread their cause.
These moms will hold their first week-long event at Newsome High school called “Start with Hello” September 24. They hope other schools will be open to participating in this mental health drive in the future.
