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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\u201cI think this might be our third briefing on this,\u201d<\/em> Board member Melisa Giovannelli said. \u201cI have been advocating for it since 2019 because there is no price on safety. I would hate for an incident to happen where we could have used a guardian.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before the School Board members discussed their thoughts on the Guardian Program, Safety, Security and Emergency Management Executive Director David Newlan provided background information. He said the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was created to make Florida schools safer and keep firearms out of students\u2019 hands, which stemmed from the Parkland, Florida, shooting on Feb. 14, 2018.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newlan said the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program was established in 2018 and named after the coach who was killed after trying to stop the gunman at the school. The Guardian Program, he said, is to take down the active threat, which are roles filled by school employees who volunteer for an additional role, or hired personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to participate in the Guardian Program, individuals must pass psychological and drug screenings and complete a minimum of 144 hours of training. Newlan said that includes 12 hours of diversity training and 132 hours of firearm safety and proficiency training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe guardian must complete an 85 percent pass rate of firearm and proficiency training,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The presentation also went into Senate Bills 7026 and 7030. For Bill 7026, Newlan said the guardian does not have the same authority and power of law enforcement, except to stop an active assailant. For Senate Bill 7030, the sheriff\u2019s office has to implement the program and provide training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newlan said when speaking with Sheriff Carmine Marceno, he is in support of a Guardian Program and would support the School District. He said he has also spoken with the police department chiefs and they are open and in support of listening to what type of program will be brought forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As far as funding, Newlan said there is a Guardian Grant available for the sheriff, which covers instructor training costs, weapons and range fees, uniforms, a one-time $500 stipend, as well as such items as portable radios, administrative costs, recurring costs of recertification, training and insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Out of the 3,785 schools in Florida, there are 2,997 law enforcement officers assigned to schools and 1,384 guardians assigned. Furthermore, 46 districts use the Guardian Program in their schools and 23 districts currently do not have a Guardian Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do support the Guardian Program. Yes, we are meeting the expectations, but why not exceed them. An additional layer of security is really important. I want our security to be the best in the state,\u201d<\/em> Board member Jada Langford-Fleming said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Newlan said staffing needs will be based on the Guardian Program design the district chooses. That might take the route of using either existing employees and\/or creating a new position. He said they will also have to discuss the liability insurance and legal coverage for negligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to decide as a Guardian Program how firearms would be carried. What type of firearm, what type of holster and the location,\u201d<\/em> he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Debbie Jordan had concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am not saying I am against this. We have to look at every little detail. The guardians will become the employees of the district. We would be their employer. We control them and tell them \u2018Here is your uniform, here is your gun,’\u201d<\/em> she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If the guardian is a teacher, Newlan said the idea is for them to stay with their class and classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat is my purpose then if that person is down the hallway? To me that does not make sense. Maybe I am not seeing it right. If that individual is supposed to be with our children and a specific place it defeats the purpose,\u201d<\/em> Jordan said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Board Chair Armor Persons said his understanding is, if someone comes through the door, the guardian\u2019s duty is to protect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s an extra layer of security of deterrence is what it is,\u201d<\/em> he said. \u201cA teacher who volunteered for this, I would not see him ever leaving the room. They are there as a deterrence.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Guardian Program would be a \u201cforce multiplier,\u201d<\/em> as the School Resource Officers will remain as they are a vital part of the school\u2019s community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt would be in concert with the SROs we already have. The SRO provides immediate access to armed law enforcement,\u201d<\/em> Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The board will also have to determine if the guardian would wear a uniform to help identify them, or be more discreet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s simply a process to better understand where we are as a board right now,\u201d<\/em> Bernier said, adding that they were looking for direction in preparation to potentially bring it back as a vote. \u201cAny type of development would move into shaded sessions because of safety and security.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Board member Cathleen O\u2019Daniel Morgan said if they move ahead with the Guardian Program, she believes they have to make certain that they understand where staff and families are on the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFamilies may choose not to send their children (to that school), if we have guardians that are visible. Staff members may choose not to teach in a school if a guardian is not disclosed and is an unnamed individual who is armed in the school. We have to have extensive engagement with families and staff about what would be tolerable, acceptable and expected and all that would have to be written into policy,\u201d<\/em> O\u2019Daniel Morgan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The School Board of Lee County, after a lengthy discussion, agreed to have further conversations about the Guardian Program and what it would entail implementing in the School District during… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":56439,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[85],"tags":[1987],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56438"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56438"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56442,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56438\/revisions\/56442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/4B23NBRCFVBKPELL7W37TO75HE.jpg\")
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