Upgraded Security at Schools is Sought
Posted on: Monday, 18 February 2008, 09:00 CST
By Lisa Crutchfield, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va.
Feb. 18--Henrico County School Board members want to beef up security for students next year.
Lamont Bagby, who represents the Fairfield District, says schools need to add security officers and cameras to deter crime.
Last week's shootings at Northern Illinois University strengthened his resolve for upgraded security.
"Alarms started going off in my head," he said.
"I like to think that we're moving to more proactive rather than reactive stage, that we're doing this before something happens.
"It's certainly easy to increase the budget after something happens -- no one can argue that 9/11 idea -- but it's so much better to do it before something happens," he said.
School Board Chairwoman Diana D. Winston adds that parents are telling her that safety is their top concern.
An armed school-resource officer costs $65,000 per year in salary and benefits. An unarmed school-security officer position costs $42,213. Installing cameras would be about 70,000 per school, said school-system spokesman Mychael Dickerson.
Although these expenses are not in the proposed budget, board members will consider eliminating other items to make room for security improvements before the final budget is passed.
In recent work sessions, School Board members have brought up the need to add security to Henrico's campus-style middle and high schools, which feature multiple buildings connected by outdoor breezeways.
Two recent high school incidents -- fights at Varina and a Tucker student's arrest on a charge of possession of a weapon on school property -- occurred at campus-style schools, though they were not related to architecture, officials say. School resource officers and administrators handled those events.
"Children have to feel secure so they can learn," said Patrick Kinlaw, assistant superintendent for administrative services.
Henrico schools have one fulltime school-resource officer, who is an armed police officer, at each of their 13 middle and nine high schools (Highland Springs High School has two).
The cost is split between the school system and the county police department; federal and state grants also are available.
Each high school also has one or two school-security officers who are unarmed and unable to make arrests.
School Board members have discussed placing an additional school-security officer at Tuckahoe, Brookland and Fairfield middle schools and possibly a second armed school-resource officer at Henrico, Varina and J.R. Tucker high schools; all feature campus-style architecture.
"We would have somebody outside the buildings constantly surveying the land," Bagby said.
A security officer also could help monitor bathrooms and breezeways, he said.
Highland Springs High, which has traditional enclosed architecture, already has a second school-resource officer in place.
"It has been a huge benefit," said Eric L. Jones, director of high school education.
The 2008-09 budget proposal already includes a new position of safety and security coordinator for the entire district. The starting salary would be $63,980.
The board will hold a final public hearing on the proposed budget Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Short Pump Middle School and will vote on the budget Feb. 28. It will take effect July 1. Contact Lisa Crutchfield at (804) 649-6362 or lcrutchfield@timesdispatch.com.
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Source: Richmond Times-Dispatch
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