Troops to Teachers program could provide resources for dangerous situations

Sergeant J.B. Holmes has been working with the Collier County Public School system as a teacher for more than 10 years.

He said, the Troops to Teachers Program is something he believes in because veterans can prove their worth in the classroom.

“They’re already trained and have the right temperament,” Holmes said, who was a Collier County school teacher before working for law enforcement.

Other veterans said, if a dangerous situation were to happen on school grounds, veterans would know how to act.

“We’ve been in the Middle East,” Randy Cash said, an army veteran. “We’ve been in Iraq. I was in Somalia. We understand how to secure a perimeter and that’s an asset the school system could use to help determine the threat assessment.”

Now, the Federal Commission on School Safety, is recommending adding more funding to help retired law enforcement and service members find jobs in both public and charter schools.

Holmes said veterans could help teachers and parents with disruptive students.

“When I worked closely with a student’s parent and I was teaching an alternative education where we had troubled students,” Holmes said, “if I work closely with that student’s parents, I had the greatest success rate.”

The commission agrees. It said, veterans are reliable leaders and are trained in security.

Troops for Teachers began in 1993. Since then, the program has helped more than 20,000 veterans find jobs in schools here in Florida and across the country.