Students in Gainesville will see a new addition when they arrive to school Tuesday morning as armed guards will now be positioned at each of the Gainesville City Schools.
At Monday night’s Board of Education meeting, it was announced that ten armed security guards had been hired by the school system. Each elementary and middle school was assigned one armed guard, with two assigned to Gainesville High School.
The guards will serve in addition to the five school resource officers that are already in place. Gainesville City Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeremy Williams said the goal of bringing in the guards is to bolster the school's security and improve the relationship between the student body and law enforcement.
"Really, at the end of the day, it's all about making sure you've got eyes and ears and feet on that campus. If something seems off, let's make sure we notify administration and the right people," Williams said. "It's just taking successful law enforcement experience, putting it in our schools and giving our kids just another great example of what it's like to give back to your community and provide a service."
In a statement about the new security staff, the school system says that the guards come from various backgrounds and have 296 years of combined experience in law enforcement, military, private investigation and beyond.
The guards, along with the current SROs, will all report to the new Safety and Security Manager Bonner Burton. Burton has 27 years of experience with the Hall County Sheriff’s Department.
"The vetting process involved an interview, a physical fitness test and it involved a firearms skill test. These 10 individuals were the ones that were selected out of more than 50 that applied," Burton said. "It's a big deal for a lot of different reasons, I think. We're trying something new that this school board has seen as an opportunity and they've asked us to put together a plan and try and make it happen. I think the 10 people we've picked couldn't be a better group of people."
Williams said the guards will be paid employees of the school system.
Below are the names of the guards and which schools they will assigned to:
- Michael Ledford – Gainesville High School
- Christopher Scott Ware – Gainesville High School
- Bartley Wilson – Gainesville Middle School East Campus
- Avery Niles – Gainesville Middle School West Campus
- Steven Klein – Centennial Arts Academy
- Todd Eason – Enota Multiple Intelligences Academy
- Nathaniel Mills – Fair Street International Academy
- George Villaverde – Gainesville Exploration Academy
- David Padron – Mundy Mill Arts Academy
- Tift Mattox – New Holland Leadership Academy
