Where is the Okaloosa County School District investing? At its latest school board meeting, the district approved more than $403,000 in classroom technology and security upgrades.
The Okaloosa County School Board approved two investments in classroom tech and security upgrades at its most recent meeting: $151,450 for Prisms of Reality virtual reality technology and $252,302.28 for security camera upgrades at Laurel Hill School.
The virtual reality classroom technology purchased 60 Pico 4 Ultra Enterprise VR headsets, two Prism XR carts, and 2,600 student licenses.
Probably the most interesting part of the VR purchase is the $70,350 allocated for professional development and support, with nearly half the contract going towards training and implementation. The agreement provides 21 professional development packages at $3,350 each, including teacher institutes, coaching, lesson studies, and virtual professional development sessions. The contract runs from September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027.
Laurel Hill security upgrades include replacing existing cameras and installing 57 additional cameras. The project uses Verkada Ultra HD 4K cameras. The project includes network cabling work and system configuration, with a 6-month projected completion time.
For Laurel Hill, OCSD told Mid Bay News the project will be funded partly through the Safety and Security of School Buildings grant, with the remainder coming from capital outlay. The grant documents show $187,546 in total grant funding, with $177,241.25 allocated to the OCSD after proportional allocations to participating charter schools.
OCSD declined to provide additional details about specific surveillance capabilities, features, and analytics, citing Florida’s public records exemption for certain security system information. The task order provided in the OCSD’s agenda says the system will provide motion detection and video analytics.
With more than $403,000 approved for the two projects, the investments show the district putting significant dollars toward both the classroom and campus security. The VR program will bring new technology and training to teachers and students, while Laurel Hill will receive a substantially expanded camera system. Both purchases will become part of the district’s technology and security infrastructure as the 2026-27 school year gets underway.
