JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After the Duval County School Board selected Dr. Christopher Bernier as the district’s next leader on Thursday, News4JAX started looking into his record on student safety.
The implementation of the guardian program in Lee County, where he was previously superintendent, has drawn controversy.
RELATED: Parents have mixed reactions to Duval Schools’ choice for superintendent
News4JAX obtained a copy today of the results of the district’s public survey about the finalists and it shows mixed reactions to Dr. Bernier’s record on safety.
Close to 1,600 people participated in a survey to give feedback on the two finalists for Duval County Schools superintendent. Most of them identified as current or former parents of a student in the district.
“Strength - building community relationships Questions - arming staff?!? Are you nuts??” one respondent wrote.
“I love the idea of arming staff…I love that he prioritizes school safety and data,” another wrote.
They’re talking about Florida’s Guardian Program, which allows firearm-trained school staff to carry weapons on campus.
Dr. Bernier spoke about implementing that in Lee County during his interview for the Duval County superintendent job in response to a parent’s question.
“Describe a scenario when you had to make a difficult decision regarding the enforcement of a new law or policy in order to maintain safety and order. What factors did you consider in making this decision?” the parent asked.
“One of the things that was a very clear expectation for superintendents across the state of Florida recently within my tenure was the idea of examining the guardian program and bringing the guardian program to the board for a decision. That is a controversial program. It is a difficult one, but it began first by seeking to understand,” Bernier said.
He said he and his team dove into research to understand what the program is and what it isn’t.
“And then working with board members, community members, going out and having conversations about school safety. The board did vote to move to a guardian program,” he said. “I think we had 300 people interested initially, that whittled itself down pretty quickly once they understood what the application processes were where the sheriff’s office then takes them through the same training, the same psychological checks that they do for their own officers. We had six when we were done with the process. They’re not classroom teachers. They’re people who could respond in the case of an emergency.”
In response to News4JAX’s request for comment, Dr. Bernier said: “Districts across the state have approached obligations for school security differently. In Lee, we have at least one police officer in every school. Last year, my school board members asked me to explore the implementation of a guardian program as an addition to this police presence. Through a rigorous selection and training process, we now have an individual working as a guardian in six of our 119 schools. It should be emphasized that, under our policy, people like classroom teachers and principals cannot be armed. I understand that Duval has taken a slightly different approach to its guardian program. I look forward to learning about the Duval approach and working with the community, school police, other local police agencies, and the school board to ensure student safety.”
DCPS is involved in the Guardian program but does not arm teachers or school staff. In Duval County, Guardians are firearm-trained professionals who focus solely on school security.