Ava McDonnell
Florida education officials are preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will place nonlethal, armed security drones on select school campuses as part of a new strategy to respond more quickly to active-shooter threats.
The initiative, funded with $557,000 in the state’s 2025–26 budget, will roll out in Broward, Leon, and Volusia counties, according to the Florida Department of Education. The districts were chosen based on their readiness and interest in testing emerging school-safety technology.
The drones, provided by Texas-based company Campus Guardian Angel, will be stored in secure stations on school grounds. When a silent panic alarm is triggered, the drones will automatically deploy within seconds. The remote pilots who operate from a command center in Austin, Texas, navigate using a digital model of each campus and provide real-time video feeds to law enforcement.
Each drone carries a set of nonlethal tools intended to delay or disrupt a potential attacker. These include loud sirens, strobe lights for distraction, pepper-spray pellets, and, in extreme circumstances, the ability to run into a target to slow them down. The system is designed to intervene during the first one to two minutes before officers arrive.
Florida law generally restricts drone flights over K–12 schools, but the program is permitted under an exemption for law-enforcement-controlled drones. The devices will also integrate with the state’s existing Alyssa’s Alert system, which connects schools directly to emergency responders.
Supporters say the technology could drastically reduce response times in life-threatening situations. Critics, however, have raised concerns about student privacy, the potential for misuse, and whether nonlethal drones introduce new safety risks on school grounds.
The state will evaluate the program’s effectiveness, costs, and safety outcomes during its first months of operation in 2026 before deciding whether to expand it statewide.
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