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South Huntington schools station armed security outside buildings

A gun in a holster is shown worn by a San Francisco Police officer during a rally for San Francisco public schools to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic in San Francisco, Saturday, March 13, 2021.
Jeff Chiu
/
AP
A gun in a holster is shown worn by a police officer.

South Huntington schools will begin stationing armed guards around all buildings starting next month.

The South Huntington school board unanimously voted on Wednesday night to implement armed security outside of schools. The guards will not be stationed inside the buildings and will only enter if there is an emergency.

Guards will patrol outside the district’s seven schools that are considering armed security or hiring armed security, according to South Huntington Superintendent Vito D’Elia.

Parents and teachers expressed concerns about the new measures, but the school district was looking for a quick response after the Parkland shooting.

South Huntington will pay $750,000 to Melville-based Upfront Security for the service. The district is only hiring active or former law enforcement personnel.

Several Long Island districts using armed security include Montauk, Tuckahoe and West Babylon.

Clare Gehlich is a former news intern at WSHU.