Southern Utah leads armed guardian implementation as new school year kicks off

ST. GEORGE — As students in southern Utah returned to school on Monday morning, it marked a significant milestone: the first full academic year with armed guardians stationed in every school.

The initiative stems from a law passed by Utah legislators in 2024, requiring at least one armed guardian in every school building each day that students are in class. These guardians must be anonymous, trained and volunteer school employees who are not teachers or principals. Their primary role: to serve as a first line of defense in case of an emergency.

While they are volunteers, each guardian receives a one-time stipend of $500 in Washington County.

In the Washington County School District, the program has been embraced with enthusiasm.

"Our parents should feel 100% confident that their children are safe and secure while they're in our buildings," said Steven Dunham, director of communications for the Washington County School District.

The district has trained 130 armed guardians and even saw 60 teachers participate in the training, though they are not eligible to serve in the role. The sheriff's office and school district said the uptick in training translates to improved safety for students.

"We had Washington County School District employees coming out of the woodwork to volunteer for this program," Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby said.

Dunham added:

"Our parents should feel 100% confident that their children are safe and secure while they're in our buildings."

Washington County's proactive approach has made it a model for other districts across Utah. Its guardian program was fully staffed before the end of last school year, thanks to collaboration between the school district, the local sheriff's office and area police agencies.

"To know that there are other people out there, that are there to help us as law enforcement, and know that they are that first immediate defense for a school until we can get there … really makes us sleep better at night," said Dustin Killpack, training sergeant at the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

The program's success has drawn interest from other counties, many of which have contacted Washington County to learn how they achieved such rapid and effective implementation. Officials attribute this success to strong community support and coordination among all stakeholders.

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