Gov. Kay Ivey introduced the Alabama Sentry Program Wednesday. The Alabama Sentry Program is a voluntary program which will permit administrators in schools without an School Resource Officer, SRO, to have a firearm on campus in a secured safe so the school can be prepared to respond to an active shooter situation.
The Sentry Program requires the administrator to successfully complete training, which was created and certified by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA. School administrators have complete access to their schools and are responsible for the safety of all students at the school, not an individual classroom like teachers.
“The Governor’s SAFE Council recommended adding more School Resource Officers throughout our state, a solution that I support, and will work with the legislature to implement," Ivey said. "However, until we have a concrete plan to increase the number of SROs, we must provide a way for schools to protect their students in the upcoming school year. I have created the Alabama Sentry Program to provide additional security measures for our children, and to utilize the current summer break to train those who volunteer to be a sentry."
The Sentry Program will be established immediately through administrative action under existing law. The Alabama State Department of Education, ALSDE, and ALEA, acting through the Governor’s Securing Alabama’s Facilities of Education, SAFE Council, will develop a document to explain the Sentry Program, implementation regulations of the Program and guidance to participants of the Program.
ALEA and ALSDE will establish guidelines for training requirements, stress tests, mental-health evaluations and drug screenings for Sentry Program participants.
“The Alabama Sentry plan is a reasonable and measured approach to provide an additional tool for schools without a resource officer," Ivey said. "With the unfortunate continued occurrence of school violence across our country, we cannot afford to wait until the next legislative session.”
Alabama Secretary of Law Enforcement Hal Taylor and Dr. Eric Mackey, Alabama Superintendent of Education, joined Ivey Wednesday for the announcement.
“I believe this is a common-sense approach to increasing security in our schools. The SAFE Council worked hard with officials from around the state to create a list of recommendations," Taylor said. "I applaud Governor Ivey and members of the SAFE Council for creating this program. School security is one of the highest priorities for law enforcement and this program will help first responders identify and stop threats quicker and before they happen.”
A school administrator that would like to participate in the Sentry Program must obtain approval from their local superintendent, local school board and county sheriff.
School administrators that wish to participate must also possess a valid Alabama school administrator certificate, a valid concealed-carry pistol permit, be appointed as a reserve sheriff’s deputy and be an active school administrator in a public elementary or secondary school without an SRO.
Those administrators that want to participate in the Sentry Program must also pass a drug screening, a mental-health assessment and a stress test. Sentry Program participants, or sentries, will be subject to random drug screenings, annual training, mental-health and stress test recertification.
A school sentry’s duties include, “The use of lethal force to defend the students, faculty, staff, and visitors of his or her school from the threat of imminent bodily harm or death by an armed intruder.”
School sentries are authorized to only exercise their duties in response to an armed intruder.
School sentries will be required to keep their firearms in a secured weapon storage system. Each participating school's board of education will be responsible for acquiring and maintaining a weapons-storage system, an approved weapon, ammunition and a specially-designed bullet-proof vest.
“Schools are sanctuaries of learning and, as such, they must be safe places for our children to learn, knowing that the adults around them are watching out for their safety and security," Mackey said. "With recent events around our country, now is the time to act. The Alabama Sentry Program is one way for us to put more safety resources in schools without having to seek new funding. This is truly a step in the right direction. I look forward to working with Secretary Taylor and the entire SAFE Council to implement this program.”
Wednesday's announcement the Sentry Program is part of a process of implementing the recommendations from the SAFE Council. Six of the Council’s 10 recommendations have been implemented, and there are plans to implement more of the Council's recomendations.
Since Ivey announced the Sentry Program at the start of the summer break, Alabamians can expect to see the effects of this Program as early as the next school year. Participating schools will be able to develop and implement the program over the summer, which will allow participating administrators to begin serving during the upcoming school year.
Ivey signed an executive memorandum establishing the Alabama Sentry Program and directing the State Department of Education and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to implement the Sentry Program Wednesday.
The Alabama Sheriff’s Association has fully endorsed and supports the Sentry Program.
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