Manatee school’s armed guard gains attention following Uvalde, Texas school shooting

Sarasota Herald-Tribune | By Steven Walker | May 26, 2022

Following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Harold Verdecia took his post as an armed guard at Manatee School for the Arts.

Armed with a Kel-Tec “Bullpup” rifle and a Glock 19X, Verdecia’s duties are different from that of a typical school resource officer. He’s there for the sole purpose of stopping an active shooter.

Kelly Hillman, Manatee School for the Arts director of communications, confirmed Verdecia was still employed Thursday. She declined any further comment out of respect for the families affected by Tuesday’s shooting.

On Tuesday, a shooter killed at least 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy re-ignited interest in Verdecia on social media and on the Herald-Tribune’s previous coverage.

Because Manatee School for the Arts is a charter school, it has the freedom to allow its armed guards to carry rifles. Resource officers in district schools carry 9-millimeter Glocks.

Following the Parkland shooting, the Florida Legislature passed a law requiring all schools in the state to have armed security. Most schools achieved this through a school resource officer. Sarasota County met the requirement by creating its own police force.

In 2019, the state expanded guns on school campuses by allowing teachers and staff to carry guns in classrooms provided they had training. The next year, Florida passed “Alyssa’s Law”, which requires schools to have a silent alarm system in place to contact police.