DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The DeKalb County School District is hiring a security associate for each school and the only focus of that job is securing the building.
Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes said it’s an added layer of protection at the schools. School resource officers (SRO) were already patrolling the elementary schools in the county, but the new security associates are not police, they are essentially safety guardians of the building.
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Vincent Rhynes is the new security associate at Ashford Park Elementary School in Brookhaven.
“It’s very rewarding for me,” he said.
Students and staff will see him constantly checking to make sure doors are locked, walking the hallways, checking the outside perimeter and keeping eyes on students.
He’s letting them know he’s here to make sure they aren’t worrying about intruders coming into the building.
“I’m not a law enforcement officer, so they kinda see me as the best of both worlds as far as that,” said Rhynes.
DeKalb Schools Police Chief Tracey Whaley said SRO’s were already patrolling all the schools in the county including the elementary schools. But now, they’re using state funds that were allocated specifically to improve school security and to have extra eyes on each student all day.
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“They don’t do discipline of children – they’re not policing the children – they’re not there to make the children do what they’re quote or unquote what they’re supposed to do,” Whaley said.
It’s a new position designed to give everyone some peace of mind.
“Making sure the building is safe so that the principals and other educators can worry about teaching and learning,” he said.
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