On Thursday at 6 p.m., the West Ada School District Board convened to decide whether to have armed staff, otherwise known as "campus sentinels," on school campuses throughout the district.After a presentation and no public comme nt, the board unanimously approved the measure. WATCH | West Ada Moves Forward With Armed Campus Sentinel Policy West Ada OKs armed school safety programsThe armed staff, who are separate from police-administered Student Resource Officers, will be allowed to carry firearms at schools. They'd also be equipped with "wearable alert technology" that would allow them to immediately alert authorities to school emergencies.The armed staff will consist of former law enforcement officers or individuals who have been certified in Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).Trustee David Binetti compared the approach to a sky marshal program, emphasizing what the district calls strategic ambiguity.That strategic ambiguity could potentially be anywhere at any time, Binetti said. That helps provide an additional layer of deterrence.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: West Ada School District considers armed sentinels for campus safety in first public readingDistrict officials say they received more than 1,000 responses to a community survey on the districts enhanced safety plan over the past two months, with the majority of respondents expressing support for campus sentinels.Trustees acknowledged concerns from some families about adding more guns on school campuses, but said extensive training requirements factored heavily into their approval.The Meridian Police Department is helping design and oversee that training program.This is an extra layer of security, which will predominantly be in those schools where we cant have an SRO all the time. I think thats what parents and community members are looking for, said Lieutenant Shawn Harper with the Meridian Police.WATCH: West Ada School District approves adding armed staff, otherwise known as "Campus Sentinels," to school campuses West Ada School District Board approves "campus sentinels" ...read more read less