How does Brevard Public Schools' guardian program compare to other Florida districts?

Arming Brevard's teachers: The proposal from school board chair Megan Wright drew immediate public outcry from the start, with community members citing concerns from potential accidents in the classroom to increased rates of violence against Black and disabled students.

The idea was first proposed at an Oct. 23 school board meeting, where Wright said she had visited Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and wanted to consider expanding Brevard's guardian program. At that meeting, she mentioned the possibility of arming teachers, though board member Matt Susin denied that the idea was ever mentioned at the following Nov. 14 meeting. Multiple community members spoke up against arming staff at that meeting, and Wright clarified that she did not want to pursue arming teachers.

At this point, it's not clear what the board wants to change in Brevard, or when any change might happen. At the October meeting, they asked Superintendent Mark Rendell to look into what other districts are doing to get a better idea of what might work for Brevard.

Rachad Wilson, chief operating officer at BPS, spoke to multiple districts around the state and compiled their information for the board in a document obtained by FLORIDA TODAY. Here's what we know.

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What is the guardian program?

The guardian program was established in 2018 through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act following the Parkland shooting, in which 17 students and staff at the high school were killed and 17 others were injured.

The program was created after the school's public safety commission found that having guardians in schools was the best way to ensure "highly trained personnel" would be present to respond to a school shooting.

The program was expanded in 2019 to include Class D and G licensed security guards, and to allow certain district and charter school employees to participate as volunteers. Private schools could also participate as of this year.

What does Brevard currently have?

In addition to school resource officers, Brevard County has used the guardian program since 2019. That year, the district opted to hire civilians with a background in security, military or law enforcement as full-time security guards. The guardians were trained by Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Wright's proposal would expand Brevard's program, though it's not clear exactly how.

Which districts arm teachers?

Suwannee County is the only district BPS spoke to that arms teachers. The district has a total of 60 guardians, with some teachers and administrators serving in the role. Teachers participating in the guardian program include physical education, driver's education and others. Guardians are trained by the sheriff's office, and the training exceeds hours mandated by the state. SWAT holds live simulated trainings once a week at schools.

Which districts arm administrators?

In addition to arming some teachers, Suwannee allows administrators to participate in their guardian program, as do Lake County and Sumter County.

In Lake County, there are 21 guardians, Wilson said. Only administrators are allowed to participate in the program, and they serve at the district's elementary schools and sometimes, at high schools. The district also has school resource officers and deputies at middle and high schools. Their guardians are trained by the sheriff's office to meet state-mandated training hour requirements and are provided quarterly trainings and voluntary proficiency shooting training.

Sumter County has fewer than 10 guardians to serve its nine schools. Only administrators can volunteer, and there are school resource officers at all nine schools.

Lee County allows its employees to participate in the guardian program, but Wilson did not specify which employees were currently involved apart from saying classroom teachers cannot be guardians. The district has school resource officers at all of their 92 schools and is in the process of adding Open Gate Security Systems to each school. They have only four guardians in the district.

Which districts train citizens, security specialists or others?

Volusia County has 105 guardians, none of whom are school-based employees such as teachers, support staff or administrators. They are assigned to every elementary, middle and high school, as well as charter and alternate site schools. The district also has school resource officers and deputies in every high school and some middle schools, and Daytona Beach Police Department has school resource officers in every school.

Pinellas County does not allow school-based employees to be armed. Their security specialists and guardians are trained by the sheriff and must wear clothing identifying them as a specialist or guardian. They serve at elementary schools, while deputies or officers serve at middle and high schools.

Which districts don't use or want the guardian program?

Miami-Dade has an internal police department of more than 500 officers and deputies serving at 516 schools.

Osceola County uses school resource officers at their public schools, while charter schools use a contracted security company. The school board does not want the guardian program, Wilson said, though he didn't specify why.

What is Brevard looking to change?

It's not clear what the board is looking to change in Brevard. Wright initially mentioned the possibility of allowing teachers to volunteer, though she walked back that proposal at a Nov. 14 meeting. About 14 people spoke against arming teachers during public comment during the meeting, with no one in favor of the possibility.

"The intention for me when I brought this forward to expand this out was not to arm teachers," Wright said. "I do believe that a good guy with a gun stops a bad guy with a gun, and I'll say that all day long and I won't back down from that ... with that being said, I am not supporting arming teachers."

It's not clear when the board will discuss the program's expansion again. The next board meeting is scheduled for Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m., though no agenda has been released.

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or [email protected]. X: @_finchwalker

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Arming teachers: How does Brevard schools' guardian program compare?