A petition to place trained, armed security guards in every school in the Islip School District was presented to the board of education during their public meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 30. The board of education agreed to move forward with gathering community input and feedback regarding the benefits and drawbacks of arming security personnel.

The petition was started in August by Carolann Sutherland with support from Courtney Scarola, both Islip residents with children in the district. The petition calls upon the board of education and superintendent Dr. Dennis O’Hara to arm security personnel as a preventative measure for the ever-increasing amount of school shootings across the nation.

Currently, the Islip School District has New York State-certified security guards and aides in all schools, and all newly hired security guards are either active or retired law enforcement or security aides.

While presenting the petition during the board of education meeting, Scarola emphasized its importance, stating that the several minutes that it takes for police to arrive at the school could be the difference between life and death.

“In just a few short weeks, we have compiled an online petition, almost 100 percent through social media, which as of today has garnered 527 supporters, as well as over 100 signatures on our paper petitions,” shared Scarola. “We now have close to 650 signatures. With the total budget voters ranging from 963 to 1,521 the past three years, given the additional time, we are confident we would have the community behind us to vote this through.”

Scarola went on to share that many districts across Long Island are also implementing armed security, including neighboring districts East Islip and West Islip, plus Commack, Smithtown, Farmingdale, Massapequa, Half Hollow Hills, Miller Place, Riverhead and Rocky Point.

“I spoke with Peter McCann of the West Islip board of education, who informed me that they chose to use their existing security guards and pay them a $10 differential, which came to a mere $100,000-per-year addition,” added Scarola. “East Islip also chose to use their own security guards and based on their board of ed meeting notes in 2021, they pay their armed guards a slightly higher salary of $5,000 per year additionally per guard. Hills West, Smithtown, Commack and Massapequa chose a different approach to go with Covert Investigations, a Long Island firm specializing in providing armed security.”

While parents have shown support for the petition, others have voiced their disapproval. Some parents believe that more guns should not be the solution to a lack of gun control. Others question whether armed guards would be effective in preventing school shootings and believe that funds would be best allocated to elevate mental health resources for students.

Sutherland, who is a health care professional, acknowledged concerned parents while speaking before the board.

“I deeply understand the need to invest in prevention, treatment, and long-term support. I know firsthand the inadequacy of access to mental health care and am committed to working with the district and our community to improve access to mental health services for our children. At the same time, mental health reform takes decades to fully implement and to show results,” said Sutherland. “So while we pursue those important long-term solutions, we’re just asking to take practical steps now to reduce the immediate risk to our students and staff.”

Board of education president Philip Dineen shared that the district is planning to host a community forum, during which there will be a presentation about armed guards and the pros and cons of implementing them in Islip. He also noted that a survey will be sent out to staff to gather their input.

Dr. O’Hara reiterated Dineen’s response and shared that the survey and forum will take place prior to budget planning during late January or early February, as arming guards would have budget implications.

Dr. O’Hara later shared that he anticipates the survey going out to faculty during the week of Oct. 13, if not sooner. He aspires to host the forum sometime in early November, though planning is still ongoing.

“I am going to invite parents into the forum, and I envision giving them a presentation on security, presenting the group with a series of questions, and asking them to have tabled group discussions. I envision it being formal, with a recorder and a facilitator at each table—really trying to collect insights so everyone is heard, not rushed, [and able to have] in-depth conversations,” said O’Hara. “The safety, security, well-being of the students, faculty, and staff are the highest priorities in our school district, and I am looking forward to working with our students, faculty, and school board to determine the best path forward.”