Funding For More Security Guards Approved By Stamford Board Of Ed.

STAMFORD, CT — The Stamford Board of Education this week approved the addition of 15 security guards at a cost of $840,000 by a vote of five in favor, two opposed with an abstention.

One security guard will be placed at all elementary schools who do not currently have one. A guard will be at Apples, the district's early childhood education program, and two each will work at Rogers International School and Strawberry Hill School.

According to the Stamford Advocate, another guard will be stationed at Cloonan Middle School. There's already security detail and School Resource Officers at the city's middle and high schools.

Board members Daniel Dauplaise, Fritz Chery, Jennienne Burke, Andy George and Benjamin Lee voted to approve the additional security guards. Joshua Esses and Becky Hamman voted no, with Nicola Tarzia abstaining. Board President Jackie Heftman was not present at the meeting.

The money for the hires is being pulled out of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds.

Esses questioned Lucero about how the positions will be funded in future years, since the funding from COVID-19 relief will dry up eventually.

"We would need to have that conversation with this board and then with our city boards as we go through the budget process next year and make some determinations," Lucero said. "We are going to work on a master staffing plan, not just for security but for all staff, so we can have a clear understanding of the needs of our schools."

Esses said he was still opposed to the expenditure, adding that it wasn't "a prudent use of money."

"I understand the agitation for security guards in light of national events and the events at our elementary schools," he said, referring to the mass shooting at Uvalde, Texas, in June. This past school year in Stamford, both Rogers International and Davenport Elementary School were locked down for trespassers who were on school grounds.

"My prediction is, just like the last few years, where nothing has happened at our schools that harmed our children, that will continue to be the case," Esses added.

Lucero said there are other scenarios that happen more often than trespassers at buildings in which security guards can help out.

"Most of our issues are around domestic violence," Lucero said.

Lee agreed with Lucero.

"The reality is the most probable threats, the things we see the most in our schools, are unsecure doors, unsecured entrances, domestic violence, a person who is not supposed to be picking up a kid being the person trying to do that," Lee said. "Those are things these security guards can be available to. Our teachers have a lot of other jobs to do during the day, and our custodial staff has a lot of other jobs to do during the day. These are things our security workers can respond to."

Now the district will work on filling out the 15 security positions.