Palm Beach County school employee shoots self during armed guardian training at gun range
Palm Beach Post | By Katherine Kokal | June 12, 2024
The employee, who is not a police officer, is in stable condition.
A school district employee participating in armed “guardian” certification accidentally shot themselves at the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office gun range on Monday, June 10, according to the Palm Beach County School District and sheriff’s office.
The civilian employee, whose name is being withheld in accordance with the state law that prohibits identifying safe school officers, is in stable condition following the shooting, according to a school district spokesperson. The person’s injuries were not life threatening.
District-operated schools in Palm Beach County do not arm teachers or staff. Instead, the school district has its own police force, which stations an armed officer at every campus.
But last year, Superintendent Mike Burke announced that he would send two district employees through the guardian training program as part of a “pilot” group. Burke said at the time that he had attended informational workshops with other superintendents and Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz Jr., who has strongly encouraged all districts to participate in the program.
The school board would need to approve participating in the guardian program and placing armed staff in schools. Currently, there is no such measure under consideration by the board.
Monday’s events at the gun range were characterized by the school district as “an annual firearms qualification related to Guardian certification,” meaning the school district employee who accidentally discharged their weapon was not a new participant in the guardian program and had been previously trained on gun safety.
What is the armed guardian program in Florida?
Fifty three counties in Florida participate in the guardian program either formally or informally like Palm Beach County does, according to state records.
Armed guardians have no law enforcement authority and cannot make arrests. They are armed personnel whose sole purpose is to “prevent or abate an active assailant incident,” according to state law.
Guardian candidates must be screened, have to complete 144 hours of state-mandated training and, in Palm Beach County, 36 hours of training added by the sheriff’s office.
The training required by the state includes:
- 80 hours of firearms instruction
- 16 hours of precision pistol training
- 12 hours of diversity training
- 12 hours of instruction on legal issues
- Eight hours of simulator-based discretionary shooting instruction
- Eight hours of instruction in active shooter scenarios
- Eight hours of training on defensive tactics
Guardians also are required to pass a psychological evaluation, an initial drug test and subsequent random drug tests. They must successfully complete ongoing training, weapons inspection and firearms qualification on at least an annual basis.
