There is nothing more important than keeping innocent children secure, providing children with a sense of safety, and giving parents peace of mind. Students should feel safe in school and parents should feel assured that their children are safe. The presence of a private security guard astronomically increases school security and deters potential dangerous activity. Other than just school security, private security guards in an academic environment also serve as role models. School security guards can assist in the movement to reduce and prevent bullying, which is a problem that has swept the nations’ school systems. Having private security guards on site for school security is appropriate for both public and private institutions ranging from grade school to universities.
National Rifle Association Research
The National Rifle Association (NRA) created the National School Shield (NSS) through the Education and Training Emergency Response Program in December of 2012. The NRA-NSS is a task-force designed to develop new protective policies to increase focus on school security and to help defend against potential violent criminal activity in schools. Since its creation, the NRA-NSS has been conducting research with the intention of finding the best policies and strategies to successfully improve school security all over the country. The results of the NRANSS’ research concluded the following:
- Do not allow teachers to carry and conceal firearms on school property – the training required for public educators, which is to be paid for by the Department of Education, is lengthy, expensive, and creates a demand for pay increases. This option at face value might sound plausible; however, it is out of the question for an economy struggling to maintain teachers solely for the purpose of educating. Additionally, many educators do not feel obligated to play the role of a security guard, especially without an increase in compensation for massive increase in responsibility.
- Do not hire School Resource Officers (SRO) – SROs are provided by the local police department. This option is expensive and also requires the hiring of additional police personnel in order to replace the previous position of the newly appointed SRO. Many towns and cities that are on the smaller side do not have the available funds to maintain such protection from a public officer. When public funds are limited, sustaining an SRO program is unlikely a plausible solution for improving school security.
- Hire private security guards – the most cost-efficient approach to improving school security is to hire private security guards. Security guards are professionals who are certified and trained by their private security companies before beginning school security assignments. Whether its armed or unarmed security guards, private security companies provide an inexpensive option for any required protection and safety needs. The purpose of such school security protection is to prevent potential criminal activity and to mitigate hazardous disasters within the school systems.
Additionally, the NRA-NSS has proposed and is attempting to get approval from the federal government to provide a federally funded training course designed for school security guards of private security companies who wish to receive free additional training. The mere presence of a uniformed school security guard, armed or unarmed, deters undesirable behavior. The presence of a school security guard can also help to decrease the amount of bullying and fighting occurring in between students. School security guards could collaborate with the school’s administration in order to ensure the safety and protection of students from all aspects in a cost-efficient method.
