The Levittown School District is looking to add armed security to its buildings, something that just two other known districts in Nassau County currently have.
The district said it is considering two options to enhance security – hiring a private contractor or arming existing security personnel, according to a presentation shown at a Board of Education meeting in October.
A private contracted vendor would cost $750,000 to $1 million annually, and would have armed security remain outside of buildings in an unmarked vehicle, based on the to the presentation. The personnel would only enter the building in case of an active shooter.
Arming district staff would cost an estimated $350,000 to $750,000 each year, depending on the number of armed guards and additional salary differential.
Armed security staff members are trained, commonly former law enforcement and usually not identified to others as being armed, according to the presentation.
More than 20 school districts on Long Island have either opted to add armed guards to their schools or have already done so, according to the district’s data from May 2024, and it said other anonymous school districts have also taken similar measures since then.
Just two of the listed schools are in Nassau County. The Massapequa School District began using armed guards in 2018, while the Farmingdale School District started using them in 2024.
The Levittown school district has 10 schools, serving roughly 7,200 students and around 1,500 staff members, making it one of the largest school districts in the county.
According to a report read at an August Board of Education meeting, the district had surveyed over 800 parents, 132 students and just under 500 staff members about its security.
Over 80% of people in all three categories said they felt safe at school. The survey also found that bullying was the largest concern among community members, with weapons coming in second among students and third among parents and staff.
When asked about how to improve safety measures, the most common response among students and staff was to add additional mental health support, while parents said enhancing anti-bullying measures would be the best route.
Less than a third of all groups said that adding armed security would be the best measure.
