Polk County Schools Guardians sworn in
WINTER HAVEN FL July 14 2019 — Four Polk County school security Guardians were sworn in Thursday, along with one special trainee.
Ryan Petty, father of 14-year-old Alaina Petty, a Parkland shooting victim, also was sworn in by Sheriff Grady Judd.
Petty completed the training required of Guardians, scoring a 93.65 shooting average and 100% on all academic written tests.
The program was initiated when the Florida Legislature approved last year to increase school security, requiring either law enforcement or the trained guardians in every school. State lawmakers passed the Florida Armed Guardian Law and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill to include trained teacher volunteers in the campus “armed guardian” program created after the 2018 shooting.
Andrew Pollack, father of 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, who also died during the Parkland mass shooting on Valentine’s Day 2018, attended to support Petty.
Pollack has been an advocate for school safety and a strong supporter of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, on which Petty served with Judd.
Pollack said he understands why Petty went through the weeks of Guardian training conducted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“Ryan had to sit through the videos of those children getting murdered in that school,” he said. “We are going to save so many lives. Having the sentinels at the schools is going to be a deterrent at the schools. We will never know how many lives we will save.”
The four Guardians inducted will work undercover at the charter schools in Polk County, and as such, cannot be mentioned by name or by photo.
“I can tell you our School Board in Polk County was on the cutting edge,” Judd said as the Guardians were sworn in.
“We were one of the very few that had 100 Guardians in place” on Aug. 13, when school opened last year, he said.
There are still school districts disregarding state law, he said.
Judd said both Petty and Pollack are committed to making a positive difference in schools across the state.
“There’s nothing in this world more important than our children,” Judd said.
“Ryan Petty not only completed all of our classroom training and firearms qualifications to be sworn in as an honorary Polk County School Guardian, he excelled in every area. We are truly in awe of his commitment to this program and his level of expertise. He would make a great Guardian anywhere in the state.”
Petty said although he can’t identify his classmates, they are his heroes. “There shouldn’t be question in the state of Florida or anywhere about what we should be doing to protect our children,” Petty said. ″I wish you had been there for my daughter.”
Petty said he plans to be the program’s advocate. “The opponents of this program are going to have to come up with different arguments.”
This is what his daughter would want, he said.
“I have got memories; I have got a wristband,” Petty said. “The best way I can honor Alaina is by making sure this does not happen to anyone else.”
The Ledger
