Triad officials are wrapping up what they called the “Summer of Security” with a new security guard provided through a private company.
“It’s something that no one else is doing,” said Superintendent Vickie Hoffman.
The Board of Education unanimously approved an agreement with Genric to provide school security services for the 2022-23 academic year at a rate of $33.95 per hour.
The Genric security guard will work alongside a School Resource Officer (SRO) provided by the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office. The board also unanimously approved an agreement with CCSO for the current academic year for $58,551.50.
Following the meeting, Hoffman said the decision to employ a private security officer, as opposed to another SRO, “really came down to cost.”
She said Friday morning that the Sheriff’s Office currently covers the salary and benefits of Triad’s SRO when he is not in the school buildings, such as over summer and winter breaks.
Hoffman explained that the Sheriff’s Office would not be able to do the same for a second officer, which would result in the cost to Triad jumping to approximately $140,000 per year.
She said that led district officials decided to consider other options for increased security, including Genric. Ultimately, she said the Genric contract will be approximately one-third of the cost of a second SRO.
“Our number one priority was to make sure a gun was in every building, especially the elementary school with those students who can’t protect themselves,” Hoffman said.
She told the board Thursday that she spoke with a handful of parents that morning and afternoon, the first day of school, who each said they were “very thankful” for another security guard.
Likewise, Elementary School Principal Lee Claypool said “staff-wise, there was a lot of buzz.” She said the teachers she spoke to about the Genric guard were “very pleased.”
The Genric guard at the district Thursday will eventually serve as the supervisor for Triad’s assigned guard, once he or she is hired.
Hoffman said she believes this is the first time a company is stationing a guard at a school distict, so they are being diligent to look for “someone very specific” who will “be good around little kids.”
She said she, Genric supervisors and the Triad SRO will interview the top three candidates for the position next week.
Once hired, the individual will undergo two weeks of training. Hoffman said she expects the guard to be on Triad’s campus by mid-September. Until then, the supervisor for the position will continue to fill the role.
Hoffman said the Genric security guard will be identifiable by students and staff based on his or her uniform – a company branded polo and khaki pants. He or she will also wear a Genric badge and Triad staff badge.
The security guard will also carry a gun on their hip, the superintendent said.
“The gun is very unobtrusive,” added Claypool, who said it blended in with the colors of his uniform.
The guard will be stationed in the elementary school, Hoffman said, but work throughout the district. She estimated that she saw him walk past her office 10 times on Thursday.
“There will never be a day we do not have a guard,” she said.
The guard also has access on his laptop to every security camera throughout the district, Hoffman said.
The superintendent noted that she intends to have two meetings per month with the Genric security guard and SRO to ensure there is a collaborative and cohesive security plan in place.
Hoffman also highlighted a number of security improvements the board implemented over the summer.
Technology Coordinator Ryan Thompson said each building office now has a lockdown button that is easily accessible for the secretary. When pressed, the button will broadcast a message to the entire building alerting them to go into lockdown.
Hoffman also has a button in her superintendent’s office that will broadcast a message to all three buildings.
Thompson said he is working on integrating the buttons into the building’s security system so that pressing the lockdown button will automatically lock all doors. It can also be programmed so only certain badges – like the superintendent and SRO – will be allowed to unlock doors.
Over the summer, Thompson said he mounted security monitors in each building secretary’s office so camera views from throughout the building are visible.
He told the board that nearly every angle of the building is covered by cameras.
“I’d be impressed if you could make it anywhere without being seen,” Thompson said.
Hoffman said administrators and staff in each building have also been tasked with creating safety training plans for staff and students so each person knows what to do in case of an emergency.
Every classroom will also be equipped with a “flip chart” that details the appropriate response based on the scenario.