VIERA, Fla. — The Brevard County school board unanimously approved a plan meant to be a compromise to the STOMP program.

STOMP would have allowed certain school staff to carry guns, but instead the school board agreed to hire School Safety and Security Specialists, who would be armed and receive special training. 

The school district has held several town hall meetings over STOMP, with the last one being on Monday night. 

The program, as originally designed, would have allowed the Brevard County Sheriff's Office to train approved school staff to carry weapons on campuses, which divided residents. A compromise program was also put on the table Monday night, alongside the plan that was ultimately approved: Hiring people specially-trained to act as armed security on school campuses.

The school district polled thousands of school staff members and parents. The survey found teachers and staff were overwhelmingly opposed to the initial proposal, 57 percent to 36 percent, as were students who took the survey.

Parents, however, narrowly support the original proposal, although the responses depended on region. The county says the strong support is in north Brevard County, where about 61 percent approve of arming deputized guardians. 

However, in the South Beaches and southeast mainland, about 57 percent were opposed to the plan.

The security guards would make about $40,000 a year and cost the school district about $1.2 million.

But where that money is coming from and if it meets the Guardian Program guidelines remains unknown. 

It’s also unclear who would train these security specialists and if they would be at every school across the county.

Reporter Krystel Knowles contributed to this story.