The Half Hollow Hills school board Wednesday approved the hiring of armed guards who will be stationed on school campuses.
Six of the seven trustees voted to hire Covert Investigations & Security; trustee Michael Prywes abstained after a passionate statement against the move, saying there was a lack of evidence that the armed guards would improve safety.
He said he wanted to see the study that would prove that guards would “prevent, deter or stop an inevidently suicidal k-12 school shooter who wants to die by cop.” He said the move would provide “the illusion of security.”
“This isn’t the norm. The vast majortiy do not have two armed contractors decorating the perimeter of school grounds.”
Other trustees expressed some reservations before approving the decision, and referred to other steps the district could implement to head off dangers.
Trustee Nadia Bilal said, “I support this because we don’t have secured vestibules just yet. So for this moment, I support the resolution but not without reservations. I don’t believe armed guards should be perceived as the final step or even the most effective to ensure satey but rather as just another layer” of security.
Others, including trustee Eric Geringswald, said armed guards would provide another layer of protection.
Other school districts, such as South Huntington, have struggled with the question of adding armed guards to their campuses, as school shootings around the country have frightened communities and led to demands for action.
HHH school board meeting