Lee County approves Guardian Program allowing armed employees at schools

LEE COUNTY, Fla. (FLV) – The Lee County School Board unanimously approved the Guardian Program which allows school employees to carry guns in schools.

Guardians are armed personnel who aid in the prevention or abatement of active assailant incidents on school premises.

They are either school employees who volunteer to serve in addition to official job duties or personnel hired for the specific purpose of serving as a school guardian.

The program was created in a collaboration between the school district, Lee County Sheriff’s Office and local police departments, according to reports.

Guardians must pass psychological and drug screenings, and successfully complete a minimum of 144 hours of training.

“The average for police officers starting at the academy is 80 hours, so they’re getting much more training than a basic recruit would get,” David Thomas, a Florida Gulf Coast University forensics expert, told the outlet.

Board member Cathleen Morgan supported the program but voiced some concerns.

“I think that people think screening and other enhancements will keep trouble out of our schools. Infrastructure plans are not being matched. I am worried focusing on guns and screening is creating an artificial sense of security making things complacent,” Morgan said.

“We know that children are undone with what is happening on social media. I am just worried that by saying we have done these things we are taking our eyes off of what we need to do […] All this emphasis on guardians and guns, to me, does not do enough in terms of addressing whether or not children feel safe,” Morgan continued.

During the board meeting, a few members of the community reportedly asked the board not to move forward with the program.

The Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program was established in 2018 through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

The program is named after Coach Aaron Feis, who gave his life saving others in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

In its initial report, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission found that having Guardians in schools is the best way to ensure highly trained personnel are in place to respond immediately in the event of a school shooting.

The 2019 Legislature expanded the Guardian program to include Class D and G licensed security guards as well as certain school district or charter school employees who volunteer to participate in the program.

State funds are granted to participating sheriff’s offices to cover the screening and training costs for each Guardian. Also, Guardians receive a one-time stipend of $500 for serving in the program.

For schools in need of Guardians, but located in districts that do not have a Guardian program, those schools may arrange for training with another sheriff’s office that has established a Guardian program.

Currently, the 46 counties are participating in the Guardian Program.