LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Los Angeles Unified School District will spend $4.2 million to hire more than 1,000 campus aides to increase security at elementary schools.

The Daily News reports a minimum of two aides will be added to each of more than 400 LAUSD elementary school campuses beginning March 1.

The aides, who will work three-hour shifts, will be unarmed but equipped with two-way radios and vests. They will be trained via online programs for a variety of circumstances including child abuse awareness, conflict resolution and threat response.

The newspaper says school officials plan to fill many of the positions with former LAUSD employees who have been laid off.

Critics, including some parents groups, say the plan is an attempt to boost security on the cheap. They say any new security hires should be fully trained, uniformed and full-time.