New Hampshire Democrats are looking for the fastest way to allow local school districts to turn their campuses into target practice. But at the Palmetto Manatee School in Florida, they are taking defending their students seriously.
Harold Verdecia, 39, was an infantryman in the U.S. Army, completing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been shot at, and he has fired back.
“That’s just the job,” he said.
According to the report, “Verdercia completed the 144-hour training course that the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office ran for the school district, plus additional training to be qualified to carry the rifle.” Training for which he has but one purpose.
…Verdecia isn’t there to get to know the kids, break up fights or do the typical community-policing that school resource officers typically do, said MSA Principal Bill Jones.
Verdecia has one job: Stop an active shooter.
Which he will do by the public advertisement of his mere presence. An important point as New Hampshire Democrats try to move the state toward optional gun-free zones in New Hampshire Schools.
Palmetto Manatee School plans to hire a second Guardian this year.
