Twenty Long Island school districts plan to hire armed guards: 70,000 kids are set to be protected by guns

Over 70,000 students in Long Island schools will soon be protected by armed guards as districts increase security in the wake of a 2018 mass shooting. 

At least 17 districts already have armed guards at their schools with more planning to add them, according to an analysis by Newsday. 

Schools have heightened their security in the wake of the devastating mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school in Parkland, Florida. 

Gunman Nikolas Cruz, aged 19 at the time, killed 14 students and three teachers during his six-minute attack on February 14, 2018.

The decision to install armed guards on campuses is controversial, with parents questioning whether the resources would be better spent on mental health programs.

At least 17 districts already have armed guards at their schools with more planning to add them, according to an analysis by Newsday

Schools have heightened their security in the wake of a 2018 shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school

Districts across Long Island from the largest, including Smithtown and Half Hollow Hills, to the smallest, including Montauk and Tuckahoe, have already brought in armed guards.

Two other districts, Farmingdale and Rocky Point, are planning to add guards. 

In total, the districts cover more than 70,000 students.

The associated costs vary greatly depending on the number of guards needed, size of the district and which contractor the is used. 

In Half Hollow Hills the estimated cost for a private company is $1 million a year, while in West Islip, which uses its own employees, the additional cost for 12 armed guards is about $100,000 a year. 

The number of schools with armed guards has increased dramatically in the past six years according to the analysis, with more schools stepping up security in the wake of the devastating Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting.  

Many parents and teachers disagree over the decision, saying that the money spent on armed guards would be better spent on preventative measures including mental health support in schools. 

Bob Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, told Newsday: 'If it was a perfect world, we wouldn't have to worry about this, but we do.'

He added: 'It's a sad reality but it is the reality.'

In Half Hollow Hills the estimated cost for a private security company is $1 million a year

Costs vary greatly depending on the number of guards, size of the district and which contractor the area uses

The massacre carried out by Cruz is the deadliest mass shooting that has ever gone to trial in the U.S. 

Cruz's jury could not unanimously agree he deserved the death penalty. The 24-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student was then sentenced to life in prison.

During the three-month trial, the prosecution had argued Cruz's crime was both premeditated as well as heinous and cruel, which are among the criteria that Florida law establishes for deciding on a death sentence.

Cruz's defense team had acknowledged the severity of his crimes, but asked jurors to consider his lifelong mental health disorders resulting from his biological mother's substance abuse during pregnancy.

During their seven hours of deliberation, jurors only asked for a readback of one testimony - the prosecution's cross-examination of a defense psychologist who said Cruz suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

They later requested to see the AR-15 that Cruz used in the shootings.

Nikolas Cruz is seen on security footage inside school in 2018 when he carried out rampage

People are brought out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after the shooting

Cruz had said he chose Valentine's Day to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.

Almost exactly a year before the rampage, he purchased his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and his planning became serious about seven months in advance as he researched previous mass shooters, saying he tried to learn from their experience.

In his guilty plea, he said he was 'very sorry' and asked to be given a chance to help others.

The shooting stunned the nation and reignited debate on gun control since Cruz had legally purchased the gun he used despite his history of mental issues.

On March 24, 2018, nationwide marches inspired by school shooting survivors and parents of victims brought together 1.5 million people - the largest public turnout ever in defense of stricter gun control laws in America.