VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — In the wake of the Parkland school shooting, Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood wants certain teachers to be secretly armed with concealed weapons.
“The day of waiting for Tallahassee or Washington, D.C., to protect our kids is not coming,” he said.
Chitwood provided more details on how this would work, saying it would be an extension of a program that’s been tested for the past year in Polk County.
“That’s the only way you’re going to stop these guys, because they’re going to kill themselves,” Chitwood said.
It would be modeled after the so-called Sentinel program. Candidates would become special deputies, who are screened and trained by the sheriff’s office to stop any threat on campus.
The Volusia County school superintendent said that is a conversation that needs to be had with the community and the school board.
None of the five school board members returned requests for comment—but parents in Ormond Beach had plenty to say.
“If they’re armed, teachers might not go into the school,” said Brianna Clark, a parent.
Cox Media Group
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/YGVFETCKVVFJXMYLVIKJPOVUYQ.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/3MULG5S5WFDVHMX4QSH7PTH6G4.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/P55FF3BQFZHWZJ3G4GFNNIU3LY.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/BGRBEKOWYNGL7OWT5GPWWLI2XA.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/GOL7ZISNQJERVAC6IL2NBR4V6M.jpeg)