Brevard County sheriff prepares to train armed guards in schools

The Brevard County sheriff is preparing to train more people who will soon carry guns in public schools after the school board voted to have more armed guardians on campuses.

In an effort to increase safety, there will be more armed guards in Brevard County public schools. The training plan will begin next month.

Sheriff Wayne Ivey hopes to see the expansion by the next school year.

“I understand that not everyone agrees with this or believes in it, but what I would ask them to believe in, and I know our citizens do, is to have confidence in us with the level of training that we are going to put into this,” Ivey said.

Teachers are not permitted to participate and training is open to volunteers and school staff not assigned to a classroom.

This is in addition to the Community Resource Manager and is part of the Florida Guardian Program.

The sheriff said there would be 170 hours of training and they would screen people carefully.

“Our number one choices are ex-law enforcement, ex-military, people who have experience handling firearms. Maybe it comes from hunting or something. But those who are fluid on campus, those who walk around campus,” Ivey said.

The only school board member who voted against the expansion said she was concerned things were moving too quickly. But advocates said guardians are needed more than ever to protect students and staff.

“They're concealed. No one on campus knows who they are, just like the air marshal program, just like the pilots who fly armed people don't know that they're armed. And so that's the concept that will know. We know who they are, we know what campuses they're on, and there will be elements for us that, you know, will truly identify them,” Ivey said.

Currently, the district has 27 armed guards in elementary schools that do not have full-time school resource officers.