MANATEE COUNTY – “You have to prepare for the worse you can’t just hope that it’s not going to happen,” said Principal of Manatee School for The Arts, Dr. Bill Jones.
Following the Parkland shooting, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring all schools in the state to have armed security. Most campuses achieved this through a school resource officer. Manatee School of the Arts, a charter school in Palmetto opted for something different.
“The purpose of the guardian program is not community policing in fact it has a very simple purpose, you have a guardian on campus who in the event of an intrusion that threatens life and limb, there job is to eliminate and stop that threat,” said Dr. Jones.
A photo of an armed guard at Manatee School for the Arts went viral, just days after the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas.
“We look for combat veterans, people who have seen action one of the requirements I have is they have to have been shot at, we saw this in Stoneman Douglas, god forbid if it were to happen on this campus, and I don’t want that to be the first time that that individual is faced with being shot at,” said Dr. Jones.
While each guardian goes through more than 100 hours of training with the Manatee County Sheriff’s office, extensive psychological training is also required. Because it’s a charter school, it has the freedom to allow its armed guards to carry rifles. Resource officers in district schools carry 9-millimeter pistols.
“This is the last resort, after all the defensive posture you can do, if the worst happens, which would be an armed intruder, you really want someone who can deal with that threat not someone whos sitting or walking around with a 9mm handgun,” said Dr. Jones.
MSA now has more than 3 guardians patrolling the school, and plan for more in the future if needed.
“It’s not a game, it’s not part time, it’s not a show because as we know it does happen, at various places around the country, you can’t just say gosh I hope it doesn’t happen here, we have to act as if it will,” said Dr. Jones.
MSA will open an elementary school next year and they plan to use the same type of guardian program at the elementary school.
