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27 armed security specialists to begin patrolling Brevard County schools

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — By next week, 27 newly hired armed school security specialists will patrol Brevard County elementary schools that previously didn't have dedicated school resource officers.

The Brevard County School Board was criticized earlier this year when it considered arming current school staff members who have other responsibilities on campus.

The school district later decided to hire security specialists whose sole task is to protect schools.

By the start of the 2018-2019 school year, schools statewide were required to have either a school resource officer or a trained school employee who could carry a gun on campus.

The new law was enacted after 17 students and staff members were killed and 17 others were injured during a Valentine's Day massacre at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The 27 armed security specialists have a combined 248 years of previous law enforcement experience and a combined 211 years of military experience.

"It's a good feeling to know these are the kinds of people (who) have applied for these positions to help us protect the schools," Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.

The specialists underwent the same 176 hours of training, including 80 hours of firearms training, that was proposed under Ivey's controversial Sheriff-Trained Onsite Marshal Program, known as STOMP.

The armed specialists will replace the off-duty deputies and police officers who had been patrolling the schools this school year.

Each specialist will be paid more than $40,000 per year, costing Brevard Public Schools $1.2 million per year.