The Gainesville City School System implemented Armed Guards on all of its campuses in October 2022 to help promote student safety.
It’s been almost four months since that decision went into effect. AccessWDUN recently spoke with both Gainesville City Schools Superintendent Jeremy Williams, and Manager of Safety and Security for the School System Bonner Burton, to discuss how the transition has gone for both students and parents.
Williams highlighted that since the adoption of armed guards in the schools, parents have responded positively to the change.
“To be perfectly honest, we've not had one negative comment from the families,” Williams said. “I think at the end of the day, our families understand that while the children need to learn, they have to be in a safe environment in order to learn. And this is just an additional layer that does not impede that from happening.”
Williams explained that the concept of having more protection for students in schools within the system was in the works over the summer of 2022 after the Uvalde tragedy in May 2022.
“When Uvalde happened in May, we were out of school. But we were still impacted by it, because anytime that you have a sister school across the country, or anywhere else go through a tragedy like that, you always ask yourself, ‘Are we doing all that we can to balance the safety in our school with also the learning opportunity?’” Williams said.
Initially, Williams had discussed possible safety strategies with Gainesville City Police Chief Jay Parrish. By June 2022, the Gainesville City School Board had begun brainstorming ideas.
Burton revealed that close to 50 people applied to fill the 10 armed guards positions, with most applicants being retired from law enforcement. He said that students have also responded positively to their arrival.
“My understanding is that at the elementary levels, the officers are incredibly popular," Williams said. "There has been a really strong and positive reaction from them. At the middle and the high school, I have seen nothing but positive things when I've been there and the officers frequently discuss what great opportunities it is for them to interact with kids”.
Williams noted that the guards are also used as an educational tool.
“[The guards are] also a great opportunity to be able to showcase to our students what a career in law enforcement can look like, and the many different ways in which they can serve a community and the kids,” Williams said.
Williams shared that he believes the positive feedback from the community comes from a deep respect and appreciation for law enforcement.
