GRANDVIEW, Mo. — The Grandview Board of Education approved a $312,000 annual contract with Strategos International, a security company based in the Kansas City metro.
Strategos provides school protection specialists at the district's K-8 building in Martin City and the district's middle school and high school.
Parents were informed of the change Tuesday through a district email.
“We’ll see,” said Tiffany Flores, parent of a middle school student. “That’s all we can hope for is peace of mind.”
On the second day of middle school drop-off, some parents said they already noticed a larger security presence during busy hours.
For the last few years, the district’s middle school did not have a daily school resource officer or comparable security personnel at the building.
“As long as they have the correct training and they know how to de-escalate certain situations and how to handle different demographics of children,” said parent Britinie Walker. “I would be okay with third-party security.”
Protection specialists carry a handgun, pepper spray or a taser, handcuffs and wear body cameras.
Strategos International President and CEO Vaughn Baker said employees are vetted in the same process as a police officer and get a month’s worth of training similar to a school resource officer.
“It is an investment to get people that have those skills and that expertise,” Baker said. “But the value or the return on that investment is much greater, especially if violence were to occur, having that person on site.”
Grandview C-4 School District Superintendent Kenny Rodrequez said the security change will cost the district 25% to 30% more per year. He said the new system will be more consistent than the former school resource officer model.
“It really is just about expanding our coverage and looking at a more comprehensive view of our school district,” Rodrequez said.
Grandview is not the first school district in the area to use Strategos for security.
The North Kansas City and Fort Osage school districts also have protection specialists in their buildings.
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