May 18, 2010

Trenton, NJ - It’s been a while since I’ve shared musings, facts and/or quotes concerning our public schools in this space. Ironically, so much has transpired during this lapse of time. Right now, the biggest story is security guards, employed by Trenton Public Schools, learning they will be among the city’s unemployed, as The School District has formally decided to privatize security in an effort to keep its fiscal head above water.

Their response? Monday’s walkout by the majority of those responsible for the safety of many children. That’s great. Parents who can’t afford private school tuition, settling for placing their children in -they think- a subpar learning environment that is the Trenton Public Schools, now have greater safety concerns when their child walks INTO the schoolhouse.

One parent, already concerned about the gang influence making its way into  schools in this area, said her child was frightened upon hearing there would be “no security at school”. This mom feels ”more kids are gonna become disruptive, and the teacher’s gonna have to stop even more times now to keep the bad kids in line”.

Then there are the teachers, whose classrooms are predominated by students who give up easily and don’t see the need for education. They must now grasp the reality that, for the rest of the school year, it may take even longer for a security guard to arrive when called upon to remove the student who has just cussed them out, or break up the fight that has taken everyone’s focus away from the lesson on Crispus Attucks’ role in the Revolutionary War.

School security guards, who contacted me soonafter recieving formal word they would be laid off, have offered no reason for the walkout or point they were trying to make by the move. They only reiterate their anger for being led to believe their jobs were safe. As one guard put it, “They (School District officials) knew they were gonna lay us off all the time”. The guards don’t think it will get better any time soon, either. One of them who has seen the District’s Request for Proposal (RFP) issued for private security services on School District property, said no one will bid on the services because its responsibilities are ”too difficult” for a company to perform, whatever that means.

So the questions lingering now are: 1) how safe are the schools now that school guards may or may not be on their posts in and around schools, and 2) will their be any security guards on the job during summer school?

Stay tuned.

Skip Harrison is an educator, journalist, and parent residing in Trenton, New Jersey.