As guardian program volunteers, Brevard Schools employees can be trained to carry guns

After six months of discussion, Brevard Public Schools is moving ahead with allowing employees to take part in Florida's guardian program, a plan that will let trained individuals other than school resource officers carry weapons on Brevard campuses.

How the decision to implement the voluntary program in Brevard was made remains murky.

In the event of a school shooting, guardians — who will not include instructional staff at BPS — are meant to act to protect students and staff. While the idea to expand the program was initially raised in October of last year by Board Chair Megan Wright, little action was taken after public outcry against more guns in school at the following two board meetings in November and December.

Members of the public were specifically concerned about the possibility of arming teachers, though both Wright and board member Matt Susin repeatedly denied ever considering the possibility of allowing teachers to participate in the program despite the option being mentioned at the October meeting.

At a Jan. 23 work session, data regarding how other districts use the guardian program was presented by Chief Operating Officer Rachad Wilson. Wright gave direction to assess the cost of training staff, as well as how many people might be interested in becoming guardians.

Superintendent Mark Rendell also said it would be necessary to put together a timeline, as the training would likely take place in the summer.

At that work session, Wright praised the program as being a "great solution" to help the district with their security needs, saying that having guardians in place who are not known to the public could be useful in the case of an emergency.

"I think we should, at least, at a very bare minimum, move in a direction where we're placing a couple guardians at each high school location, a guardian at each middle school location and a guardian at each elementary," Wright said. "That's what I would love to see."

Specific direction to implement the program, however, was never given.

Guardian program: When it started

The guardian program was established in 2018 through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act after the Parkland shooting, during which 17 students and staff at the high school were killed and 17 others were injured. It was expanded in 2019 to include Class D and G licensed security guards, and to allow some district and charter school employees to participate as volunteers. As of 2023, private schools could also participate.

Brevard Public Schools has school resource officers and security specialists — civilians with a background in security, military or law enforcement who underwent the state guardian training through Brevard County Sheriff's Office and serve as full-time security for the district.

The new guardian program would involve only current district employees whose other jobs are their main focus, but are able to carry a gun after extensive training.

State funds are granted to participating sheriff's offices to cover screening and training costs for each school district and charter school guardian, according to the Florida Department of Education.

It's too soon to know when training — which comes through Brevard County Sheriff's Office — will begin for guardians, said Russell Bruhn, district spokesperson.

Public speaks against guns in schools: More than a dozen people tell Brevard school board: Don't allow teachers to be armed

Email to staff criticized for 'lack of transparency'

After the January work session, discussion about guns in Brevard schools largely died down.

But controversy over the issue arose again after an email from the district to employees about volunteering as guardians was shared on social media.

On April 12, an email was sent to all BPS employees from Ryan Dufrain, assistant superintendent of human resources at Brevard Public Schools, referencing the district partnering with Brevard County Sheriff's Office to implement the guardian program.

The email states that guardians can be trained through the sheriff's office and that the district is looking for "current volunteers who are interested in serving as a school guardian in addition to their official job duties." Dufrain added that anyone assigned to a classroom would not be eligible for the program, and encouraged anyone with a background in the military or law enforcement to volunteer.

Though the email was sent to all district staff, instructional staff cannot be guardians, according to Bruhn. Members of Brevard Federation of Teachers also cannot be guardians.

"We stand by our contract language that prevents any member of our bargaining unit from being armed," said Anthony Colucci, president of BFT.

"I think everyone's intentions are to keep students safe; we have concerns about more weapons on our campuses regardless of if it's teachers or staff, especially when it's somebody whose primary job is to do something else and not a full-time SRO or security specialist."

The email contained a survey that allowed employees to indicate whether or not they were interested in becoming a guardian. The survey will be used to select volunteers, who will be required to complete state-approved instruction. The deadline to volunteer is May 1.

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

The email prompted public outcry due to the possibility of more weapons in school, as well as what some perceived as an attempt to avoid transparency. The email was marked "exempt from public records request," a move Brevard Public Schools Watch — a Facebook page that is largely critical of the district — criticized for its "lack of transparency."

Bruhn clarified that the email itself was not exempt from public records requests, but that any response from an employee expressing interest in the program would be exempt from requests.

Uncertainity on how decision was made

It wasn't just the public who expressed confusion regarding how the decision to move forward came to be. The email prompted similar sentiments from the board, who last spoke of the program at the Jan. 23 work session.

"The school board has not been presented with a plan nor have we approved any concepts or had any follow up discussions since the meeting in January," board member Matt Susin wrote in an email obtained by FLORIDA TODAY. "This email came as much to myself as everyone else. I thought it was a hack."

Board member Jennifer Jenkins also questioned the email, writing to Rendell with the inquiry, "Why was I not made aware of this prior to its release?"

No board members responded to FLORIDA TODAY's request for comment on the situation.

Rendell cited the program as an additional tool to help provide security for the district, saying it's already in place in many districts throughout the state.

"We have talked with several of those districts to review and analyze their experience with the program. The reviews were all very positive," he said in an email to FLORIDA TODAY.

"We have developed some parameters regarding who is eligible for the program and who is not.  For example, the program would not include classroom teachers.  Participation in the program is completely voluntary. There is a screening process and a rigorous training regimen."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Armed Brevard Schools employees? Volunteers can be trained 'guardians'