VANCLEAVE, Miss. October 20 2019 This week, students throughout the Jackson County School District began seeing new faces on campus.

Four private guards from Swetman Security Service began operations in addition to the current School Resource Officers.

The Jackson County School District has never had more than three school resource officers provided by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to serve all 14 schools in the district. This year, superintendent Barry Amacker said it was time to do something rather than nothing.

“We decided this year we weren’t going to do the nothing anymore,” Amacker said. “Because we’ve been trying to do the SRO thing, for a couple of years, and we hadn’t been able to expand it to the point that we really wanted to. So, I was faced with, ‘Do I go on and wait or do something?’ So, this was the something.”

The school board began discussions in mid-August and approved the addition on Oct. 7.

The move concerned some parents, including Anthony Johnson, who has two children in Vancleave schools.

“When they told me that it was a security guard and not a law enforcement officer, it immediately raised flags to ask whether they were certified,” he said. “What certifications and qualifications did they possess to put them in the school and charge them with the safety of our children and educators?”

Amacker said he trusts Swetman to provide high-quality guards, but he acknowledges that they are not equal to School Resources Officers.

“But they’re the next best thing we can do to provide a safe environment for our kids,” he said. “We do know this: If something bad happens, seconds count, and having feet on the ground can only help us in that situation.”

Johnson likes additional security.

“We absolutely need it,” he said. “But it needs to be properly trained and certified personnel doing these jobs, not just a quick Band-aid.”

Amacker said that the contract with Swetman is flexible and can add another School Resource Officer whenever available.

WLOX

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