Security is expected to be beefed up at Bradford Area School District with plans to bring on eight to 12 individuals to help protect students and staff members during the school day.

The move recently made by school officials comes after several school shootings across the country this year. Locally, students made threats or rumors of threats in the wake of the February shooting of 17 students and staff at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

“As with any school district, student safety (both physical and emotional) is our top priority,” school district Assistant Superintendent Samuel Johnson said. “We want to provide a safe and secure environment for our students, but also want our parents and community members to continue to feel welcome in our schools.”

School officials are looking for eight to 12 part-time security guards who would be the equivalent of four full-timers, Johnson said. The district already has two school resource officers.

At all times, one security guard would be stationed at each school –– Bradford Area High School, Floyd C. Fretz Middle School, School Street Elementary and George G. Blaisdell Elementary, and the resource officers would float between the four buildings.

Individuals approved as security guards must be retired Pennsylvania state police officers, certified Act 120 police officers and/or individuals with Act 235 certification or the willingness and ability to become Act 235 certified. These individuals must also have interpersonal skills, Johnson said.  

“We want individuals that will have positive interactions with our students, staff, parents and the community,” he said. “Their number one priority is to keep our buildings safe, but we also want them to remember that they are working in a school environment where building relationships with students and being a positive influence on them is an extremely important aspect of the position.”

Procedure changes will take place at each of the schools, Johnson said. School begins Aug. 27.

“Some of the changes may be inconvenient, so we are asking everyone to be patient and remember that the reason for the changes are the safety of our students and staff,” he said.

A district school safety committee was formed in March with the purpose of talking about safety measures with the district and then making recommendations, Johnson said.

“This initiative for armed security guards was discussed and agreed on between us and feel that in today’s climate the need for additional security measures cannot be taken lightly,” said Bradford Police Chief Chris Lucco. “I know several options had been discussed and the implementation of armed security guards seemed like a good fit to add an additional level of protection for our students and staff as well. It will also allow for the school resource officers to visit other buildings without being concerned that one school is unsecured during their absence.”

For more than a decade, the district and the city police department have partnered as part of the school resource officer program, primarily for student safety, Lucco said.

“There have been ongoing discussions for several years regarding additional security measures in the district,” Johnson said. “Safety and security measures are constantly evaluated and procedures updated. In fact, every time we conduct a drill, procedures are evaluated and changes may be made as a result. This is one reason ongoing drills are so important.”