The School District of Palm Beach County looks to improve campus safety
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — Wednesday, the Palm Beach County school board will meet to discuss campus safety.
According to Wednesday night’s agenda, they will be going over the procedures of how to identify when school doors should be locked, along with the use of hand panic alarms. With these topics at hand, they may revisit an important item discussed about a week ago, regarding the county considering a plan to arm employees on campus.
Max Schachter is a parent who lost his son Alex in the Parkland shooting in 2018, but he also serves on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Committee. He says legislation like this is crucial.
“If somebody had courage, they could- that had a gun could have neutralized the threat and stopped the killing and saved my little boy, Alex's life," said Schachter.
During a legislative delegation meeting last Thursday, it was said that the School District of Palm Beach County is looking into the Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program. Palm Beach County has not participated in the program since it began in 2018.
“So where we stand right now, we have not added school guardians but what we’d like to do is get more information about the program, knowing that it could become maybe a requirement," said Palm Beach County School District Superintendent Mike Burke.
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The guardian program is named after a coach and unarmed security monitor, Aaron Feis, who was one of the 17 killed in the Parkland school shooting. The program trains school employees to use guns in the event of a school shooting.
"If Aaron Feis had a gun. I believe that Alex and the 16 others would still be alive today. So I'm a big supporter of the Guardian program. It's a force multiplier. And I certainly support every school district implementing and using it," said Schachter.
In August, leaders of the Department of Education and a state safety commission said a major priority will be to find ways to expand the guardian program, possibly making it a requirement in schools.
Parents on both sides of the issue feel strongly about the proposal.
“Whatever we could do to make things a little safer. Why not?" said parent, Tim Zanghi.
"Just bringing guns into the school is not a good idea," said parent, Niel Strauss.
The guardian program in Palm Beach County has not officially been brought to the school board for consideration. But the discussion continues at the school board meeting Wednesday night, among other campus and district facility security issues.
CBS12 will have a crew inside the school board meeting to keep you updated on the developments.
