Second wave of Guardians head to Manatee County elementary schools

With the new class of 14 guardians reporting for work Sept. 17, each elementary school in the School District of Manatee County now is covered by a trained security officer.

That has produced more comfort for school personnel such as Gilbert W. McNeal Elementary Principal Cheryl McGrew.

McGrew admitted she had been concerned about security at times in the past. Although teachers, staff members and visitors had to wear identification badges, it was up to the school’s employees to keep an eye out for any potential problems.

“In the back of your mind, you’re always alert,” McGrew said. “And I think we’ve been very proactive, but Parkland (the site of a mass shooting in February) just brought it a little more to the forefront.”

The first group of 20 guardians started work Aug. 20, so school administrators and teachers have had time to experience the added security. District high schools and middle schools had school resource officers provided by

the Sheriff’s Office in the past.

“The reception from the (elementary) schools has been excellent,” said Pat Bartholomew, the school district’s director of safety and security.

Bartholomew said even the students are happy to have the guardians on campus. He said one guardian received a stack of thank-you notes Sept. 11 from students.

“It seems the guardians have been very vigilant in patrolling the hallways and checking the doors,” Bartholomew said.

The added security has allowed administrators and teachers to concentrate on their primary tasks.

“Having a guardian gives me a peace of mind,” McGrew said. “I know he’s highly trained. I’m able to focus on my job better.”

William H. Bashaw Elementary School Principal Joshua Bennett said he has felt secure on campus with the safety procedures already in place, but having a guardian gives him even more confidence to be able to deal with any possible major security issue. It also allows for frequent security sweeps of hallways.

Bennett said it previously was up to the principal and assistant principal to make sure doors were locked and key areas were secure.

“Ultimately, he’s here to take care of that,” Bennett said. “We’re freed up to do other things.”

Bashaw introduced its first guardian, Lou Cruz, during orientations the second week of school. That included explaining a guardian’s duties to the students.

Since then, Cruz has tried to be helpful in other ways, such as helping students exit cars during drop-off and even opening milk cartons for the students at lunchtime.

“He’s been very visible,” Bennett said. “The kids have really adjusted.”

With the graduation of the latest group of guardians, Cruz was transferred to Lakewood Ranch High School to support the school resource officer there. But, Bennett said, he’s confident his replacement, Troy Schmidt, will perform well.

The school board started the Guardian Program when the Legislature passed a law requiring one armed guard per school following the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, and the cost of employing more Sheriff’s Office school resource officers became prohibitive.

A final class of six guardians began training Sept. 17 and will report for duty Oct. 15.

Interim Superintendent Cynthia Saunders said, “They definitely afford the safety and security the community was seeking.”

She said the partnership for training with the Sheriff’s Office has been “top notch.”

Saunders and Bartholomew said if the district were to become short on guardians, it would hire off-duty deputies to fill the posts.

Trainings for replacement guardians will have to be coordinated with the Sheriff’s Office, and a minimum of five guardians would be required to begin a training session.

Bartholomew said the district will work with the Sheriff’s Office to coordinate continued education trainings for existing guardians during the summer, but those details have not been finalized. Guardians must be re-certified annually for handling firearms.