Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas announced the launch of the Campus Guardian Angel Pilot Program, deploying drone technology to enhance safety and security measures across three school districts: Broward, Leon, and Volusia. The state has committed $557,000 to fund the initiative, which integrates high-tech drones into the schools’ existing security infrastructure, including the statewide panic alert system, Alyssa’s Alert.
The program centers on drones designed by the Texas-based company, Campus Guardian Angel, intended to distract and disarm an active shooter while providing real-time audio and video feeds to law enforcement and guardians. CEO Justin Marston explained that the drones, which can deploy in as little as five seconds after a panic button activation, utilize a staged escalation of force. The process begins with a siren and verbal warning instructing the person to surrender. Should the threat continue, the non-lethal drones are equipped to deploy pepper spray to degrade the shooter’s ability to target others. The final step involves a high-speed impact, with the drone striking the subject at 50 to 60 mph—an impact Marston likened to being hit by a baseball bat.
The devices are pre-staged on campus but are operated remotely from the company’s operational center in Austin, Texas, using a digital twin of the school layout for navigation. Marston revealed the concept was inspired by conversations with Ukrainian Special Forces who utilized small drones for protection during the Russia-Ukraine War. Florida is the first state to deploy this particular technology.
District leaders expressed strong support for the proactive safety measure. Dr. Carmen Balgobin, Superintendent of Volusia County Schools, said that participation reinforces the district’s “commitment to proactive safety measures and smart, coordinated response.” Laurie Cox, Chair of the Leon County School Board, added that the drones represent “another layer of protection that enhances rapid response, real-time awareness and coordinated action.”
Commissioner Kamoutsas asserted that the pilot program is an “important step in expanding the safety tools available to our districts,” emphasizing the state’s sustained investment in school security to protect students and support a rapid, coordinated emergency response.
