Lee Schools to vote on program to allow armed staff to be on campus

FORT MYERS, Florida. School workers with guns may soon become a reality for the Lee County School District.

On Tuesday, the school board will vote to approve a program to allow armed personnel to be on campus.

This program has already been adopted by several Florida counties and is now being considered by Lee County.

The Florida Department has worked with state schools to implement it.

It’s called the custodial program, and it was created in 2018 as part of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act.

Some schools that have implemented it say armed school workers are the best way to keep students safe so they can respond to a threat, such as a school shooting.

Lee Schools reviewed a list of events over the past year, including phone calls and online threats.

If the council approves this, it means full-time school employees who enroll in the program may be allowed to carry firearms on campus.

There are very specific guidelines for employees who choose to participate.

Guardians must complete more than 140 hours of training to be provided by the sheriff’s office, as well as undergo psychological and drug testing.

If approved, Lee Schools says that employees who perform classroom duties, such as teachers, will not be allowed to participate in the program, but it is open to other employees on campus.

The Guardianship Program operates in more than 40 counties across the state, including Sarasota, Hendry, and Hillsborough.