TPS security, if the area

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Who protects your children in TPS? A school board member is asking this question as the board was considering two contracts for security services.

Outsourcing versus hiring, that is the debate. Is one better than the other when it comes to security?

“We once had an entire police department,” said TPS board member Dr. Jannetty Marshall.

But today is a different time, Dr. Marshall said, and contracts with two security companies were on the school board’s Monday agenda for consideration. The district says, in part: “Given campus police and security requirements, the district needs access to personnel who can easily staff events, activities and other after-hours activities… The contracts submitted to the Board allow for flexibility in scheduling and utilization of personnel while maximizing the budget and capacity of the Campus Police Department to provide school security and campus security officers.”

“Every time these security companies are presented to the board of directors, there is no information that speaks to the standards that these people must meet to even be hired,” she said.

Dr. Marshall would like to see the county staff its police department instead of outsourcing it, and says standards are one of her main concerns.

“We have to stop and think that we have the lives of children and staff, and across the country we have schools that have active shooter incidents. Are we getting people who are prepared to handle active shooter incidents, whether it’s at an event or on a school site?,” she said.

Whether to staff or outsource security, is there a noticeable difference between the two?

“What do we know about the people we hire? Are they strong enough, capable enough, competent enough and willing enough to be around our children and our staff and provide the safety that we say they are going to provide? ” she said.

Here is the full TPS statement;

“The Tulsa Public Schools Campus Police Department’s priority is to provide a safe environment for teachers and students both during and outside of the school day. Given campus police and security requirements, the district needs access to personnel that can easily staff after-hours events and activities. and in other cases. To ensure the safety of our students, staff and facilities, additional trained personnel may be required, sometimes at short notice.

The impact of overtime costs on a district can be significant, especially if current team members are already working overtime. The contracts before the Board provide flexibility in scheduling and deployment of personnel while maximizing the campus police department’s budget and ability to provide school security and campus security officers.”