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Parents, students and staff urge Kings board to keep campus security monitors
Summary
Multiple speakers at public comment urged the Kings Local Board of Education not to eliminate campus security monitor positions, arguing monitors provide daily safety, de-escalation and student relationships that complement school resource officers; speakers cited incident counts and the district's January 31 swatting response.
Speakers at the Kings Local School District board meeting on May 19 urged trustees to retain campus security monitor positions at the high school and junior high while the district considers adding or reallocating law-enforcement resources.
Veronica Mitchell, who said she serves on the campus security team at both Kings High School and Kings Junior High, told the board that the monitor positions "represent safety, they represent trust, and they represent the promise we make every single day to protect the students and staff of this district." Mitchell listed routine duties she said the team handles — daily perimeter checks, de-escalations, medical responses and student interventions — and provided incident counts she said occur in a typical day, including "45 vape incidents, more than 50 students skipping or truancy situations, over 20 behavioral interventions" across the two buildings.
Mitchell said her team was part of the district response to a January 31, 2025 swatting incident: "We searched classrooms, we followed leads, we helped secure buildings and protect students and staff during one of the most frightening situations our district has faced." Her remarks ended when time limits were enforced by the chair.
Denise Solomon, a paraprofessional at Kings High School, described teams' relationships with students and families and urged the board to consider how losing monitors would affect student trust. "I've never once felt unsafe being there," she said of the building and the security staff who work there.
Jacob Green, who identified himself as a student and a member of the honor student-athlete cohort, spoke to the personal impact of a named monitor he called "Mr. C" and identified as Chad. "He shows up with a one-of-a-kind love ... Our safety emotionally, mentally, and physically is a priority for him," Green said.
Chad Cordell, who identified himself later in public comment as "one of the security monitors at King's High School and Junior High" and a 26-year former police officer, urged the board to avoid an either/or decision if the district hires an additional school resource officer, saying "the high school needs both." Cordell said last November's proposed 1% income tax — which he and others supported — listed the security positions as potentially cut if the measure failed, and he told trustees the positions influenced community support for the levy.
Board members did not take immediate action during the public-comment period. The speakers asked the board to weigh safety, relationships and community expectations before making staffing decisions. The board later entered routine business discussion and then moved to an executive session on collective bargaining.
