‘Keep the children safe’: New security resource officer begins placement at Lee school

Heights Elementary School has a new face walking the halls.

Staff Sergeant Alan Canfield is one of 40 additional school resource officers hired to patrol schools within Lee County.

Canfield was previously reassigned to the elementary school of 1,200 students and staff from a previous job guarding gated communities.

“My job today and for the remainder of the school year is to keep the children safe,” Canfield said.

Robert Tierney has a son in second grade and said he wants to feel safe sending him to school.

“It’s a scary proposition when you send your kid to school and you don’t know if he’s coming home,” Tierney said.

Canfield said his job will focus on respond to potential threats at the school and stressed his objective to remain visible.

“Anybody who would visit this school, they’re going to know within seconds of driving in that the Lee County Sheriffs Office is inside this public school,” Canfield said.

Principal Doug Palow said he expects a big difference having Canfield monitoring the grounds daily.

“I think it will put a lot of parents at ease,” Palow said.