BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A new guardian program begins this year in Brevard schools, as part of a push to keep students safe in schools.

It’s called the Sheriff Training On Site Marshal Program, or S.T.O.M.P.

“What I want, is when a mom drops her child off at school, and she looks in the rearview mirror of her car driving off that day, I want her to know her children are protected, and they are going to be ready for her to come pick them up,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said.

Participants can consist of non-classroom staff who volunteer, are vetted by the principal, and receive extensive training and evaluation through a partnership with the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

It’s as real as it gets.

The department’s intense firearm training for officers is the same training that school personnel will experience as part of the new guardian program being implemented when classes begin.

Veteran firearm instructor Corporal Jose Centeno has 25 years under his belt, teaching how to safely and effectively hone marksman skills.

“I force them to take positions that aren’t very comfortable for them to mimic real-life scenarios, to still be able to sustain their marksmanship. We have zero tolerance for collateral damage,” he said.

Guardians could encounter real-life scenarios during an active shooter situation at a school. Then, they might have to engage a suspect from a long distance or an awkward spot to protect themselves.

Staff will be trained for 176 hours, but the state-required level for a guardian is only 140 hours.

A big part of training is learning defensive tactics.

“Not only how to holster their weapon, be able to retain the weapon, be able to control other people without deadly force,” Centeno said.

Another teaching block is mental health, recognizing when someone is having issues and not posing a threat.

But parents like Amy Roub said they believe adding more guns to the mix isn’t the answer. Her youngest of four just graduated from Satellite High.

She’s relieved they won’t be in school as the guardian program begins but will still voice her opinion against it.

“It’s really scary," Roub said. "I will continue to fight for the kids and the parents, and the teachers, who are scared to speak up, and who don’t have time to keep up, and have time to attend all the meetings.”

The Brevard County School Board voted 4-1 in June to implement the measures.

Some drama came with the decision, as some parents, like Roub, said the vote caught them off guard.

The item was pulled off the meeting agenda the night before but re-added the next morning about an hour before the meeting began.

But members who voted in favor said they already agreed to approve the guardian program.

Corporal Centeno said the training wraps with re-enforcement, as the guardians are there to protect all.

“To understand that they are going to provide protection to everybody, equally," he said. "Nobody gets left behind when it comes to protection.”