Armed guardians coming soon to Utah schools
Aug 21, 2024, 6:37 AM | Updated: 4:40 pm
A new state law requires every Utah school to have an armed guardian on site, every day. The goal is to protect against school threats. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah— A new state law requires every Utah school to have an armed guardian on-site, every day.
The goal is to protect against school threats. But several districts are struggling to find volunteers willing to respond with lethal force. And there are concerns about who these school guardians will be.
Among many other things, the law clearly states that guardians can’t be teachers or principals, and they can’t be assigned the job. They must volunteer.
“Think of them kind of like an air marshal when you board an airplane,” said Matt Pennington.
Pennington is the state’s new security chief assigned to carry out the sweeping new school safety law.
Guardians will respond with lethal force in the event of a school threat.
“If you attack a school here in Utah, you’re going to be confronted,” said Pennington. “it’s not a soft target anymore.”
A daunting task for Utah schools
The requirements already make it daunting for school districts to comply with the law. With more than 1,200 schools in Utah, administrators need a lot of guardians.
One more factor adds to that challenge: the pay.
For taking on this most serious responsibility, guardians will be compensated with a one-time $500 stipend. That is what state lawmakers allocated for this position.
“Who is going to take on this responsibility?” said Jeff Haney, spokesman for the Canyons School District.
He and other district leaders overwhelmingly prioritize school safety. But finding hundreds of guardians willing to defend schools every day, with little compensation, seems a tall order.
“It’s a lot to ask and a lot of responsibility,” said Halley Nelson, assistant principal of Glacier Hills Elementary.
“It would have to be somebody that already, either that was their job, or somebody who was already really motivated to protect kids,” said ConnieTrue Simons, assistant principal at Midvale Middle School.
Administrators agree there are only few people already on staff who might be qualified to fill the role, such as the custodian or school secretary.
“When you envision what the school secretary looks like, do you really envision that the person is the person who would run toward an issue?” Haney said.
Read the full story on KSLTV.com
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