Training standards set for Utah’s new school tutoring program

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Starting next school year, every school is expected to have an armed person from bell to bell who will intervene and help stop any potential school shooters.

This could include a school employee who has volunteered to be a school tutor. Educators across Utah are still waiting to find out what kind of training these tutors will receive.

In early August, county sheriff’s offices across Utah received the Department of Public Safety’s official guardian training program. However, many sheriff’s offices are still trying to determine how they will implement this training, and many school districts have not completed their risk needs assessment to determine what they will need.

Who exactly decides what school workers must know before they can be certified as school tutors? Matt Pennington, director of State Safety for the Department of Public Safety, said he is setting the standard.

“My office is responsible for setting some basic standards for that training. Now, local agencies and counties can tailor it to their needs, the concept would be that they can’t go below the basic standards,” Pennington said.

Who these gatekeepers will be? We’ll never know. Pennington said this is protected information that won’t even be released through a GRAMA request. However, some people have already volunteered.

He said: “There are certainly some districts, schools and agencies that want to do it this year. There are others that obviously have some challenges, like identifying people and other things.”

Not everyone qualifies to be a tutor – there is a vetting process.

“Their employer must identify them, they must then undergo a mental health screening, they must have a valid concealed carry (CCW) permit and they must successfully complete training,” Pennington said.

Initial training for guardians will be at least 28 hours long, but sheriff’s offices can require more training if they deem it necessary.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ARMED PROTECTION IN UTAH SCHOOLS:

Under the law, schools can hire armed security guards instead of having a guardian. Since HB 84 was passed, at least three school districts and several private schools have contacted Salt Lake City-based CBI Security about hiring more guards.

“With this new bill, there will be a need for quite a few officers,” said CBI Senior Vice President Derek Evans.

Evans said finding the right kind of person to protect a school isn’t as easy as some people may think. For example, he said it’s hard to find someone with the mindset to run toward a potential shooter.

He said: “Our tendency is to run away from the fire or from someone who is shooting, not to run towards that individual.”

Evans said someone with combat experience is preferred, but also needs to be able to build a relationship with children.

“The school resource officer, or in this case a security officer, gets a lot of information from the student body about what’s going on,” Evans said.

He believes that if new school custodians do not receive proper training, they could become a security risk and will require frequent training.

Evans said: “We have our own training department and we have trainers on staff. Schools don’t.”

Department of Public Safety officials said guardians will not only receive one-time training, but will have to undergo firearm safety training every year, in addition to scenario-based training sessions twice a year, preferably at the schools they are already policing.

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