Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Security Staffing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students raise concerns about security‑guard staffing; administration says district is focusing on hires with law‑enforcement experience
Summary
Several students urged the board to restore a familiar evening security guard at South High and sought clarity about a staffing change. Superintendent Dr. Bossert said the district has an initiative — in partnership with its contracted firm — to hire guards with prior law‑enforcement experience and said the share of such hires is now over 95%.
Students at South High used the public‑comment period to ask the board to restore a well‑known evening security guard and to seek clarity about changes to the district’s security‑staffing approach.
Why it matters: The comments combined personal appeals about an individual guard’s presence and enforcement of building procedures with a request for transparency around a shift the administration described as a hiring focus that favors former law‑enforcement officers.
Kevin Qua, a South High sophomore, told the board the evening guard “was more than just a regular security guard” and described the guard as a role model who checked in with students after practices, announced late buses and helped ensure students’ safe rides home. “His presence wasn't just about security. It's about trust,” Kevin said.
Another student, Yoo Jin Sun, said they had tried to locate written guidance about the change and received inconsistent answers. “I have yet to hear a definite answer on what this policy is and who advocated for this policy,” the student said, asking the board to confirm whether a formal policy change had been made.
Superintendent Dr. Bossert replied that the district must be careful with the word “policy.” He said the change is an administrative focus or initiative (not a board‑adopted policy) to work with the contracted security firm (named in the meeting as Arrow) to prioritize candidates with former law‑enforcement experience. “There has definitively been an effort, by the administration and leadership with the contracted security guard firm we use, Arrow, to hire guards with former law enforcement experience,” he said, adding that the administration believes those candidates bring a desired skill set for protecting students, staff and facilities. Dr. Bossert said that, to his knowledge, the district is “over 95%” staffed by guards with law‑enforcement backgrounds.
Dr. Bossert also cautioned that personnel matters cannot be discussed in public meetings when they are confidential, but he affirmed that student voice matters and said administrators had heard the concerns raised during public comment.
Ending: The administration invited students who had questions to continue discussions with school leaders and said that staffing practices are implemented through the district’s contracted provider and through administrative hiring practices rather than as a board‑adopted policy change.
