Mother Pays 12K for Armed Deputy to Patrol Her Daughter’s Florida Elementary School

In the wake of the Sandy Hook school shooting, Florida mother Laura Lauria paid for an armed deputy to patrol her daughter’s elementary school, the Daily News reports. The cost? $32 an hour, or $12,000 over the next two months.

Lauria has also made a “verbal commitment” to pay for the deputy to guard Old Kings Elementary School for the remainder of the year, Flagler County Superintendent Janet Valentine told The Daytona Beach News-Journal.

"I don't know how you say no to such a wonderful gesture," said Valentine.

The Sheriff's Office doesn’t have enough money to pay for full-time deputies to patrol elementary schools this year, reports the News-Journal. Sheriff Jim Manfre is hoping to split the cost next year with the school district.

"I think it's commendable that someone is willing to put up her own money to secure the children at the school, but I think it should be done at every school," said Manfre.

However, some experts have said that strengthening security does not solve the problem.

"Singular horrible events like [the Sandy Hook shooting] make us all upset, but if we look at the data, it doesn't make sense that that's where we need to beef up security in a very expensive way -- not only financially but also at the cost of our children's feeling of security," Kenneth Dodge, director of the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University told The Huffington Post last month. "Isn't it more straightforward to just get rid of the guns?"

Should all schools have armed guards on patrol, or is there a better solution? Leave a comment.