This year the roles of security monitors and deans seems to be changing here in South High. Unlike recent years, South is transitioning into following the technical definitions of those job titles. In recent years security guards could be seen doing much more than just sitting in one spot and monitoring that area. However, that is exactly what a “security guard” is meant to do. In South however, they move from one place to another telling students to get to class or go into classrooms when behavior problems are present and the deans are busy. 

“During freshman year we had a lot of security guards and when I came back from studying abroad we now have deans, but is it the same thing,” questioned 11th grader Jolyse Williamson. “They have the same roles and same tasks what is so different about the title?” Many students don’t know the difference between the two jobs. 

An important distinction is that staff labeled as security guards are not typically paid as much as somebody who is considered a dean. With that distinction in mind, the expectations for South’s security guards may be upsetting. 

Security guard Cedric McKinley who is used to doing these more student-interactive jobs that are actually designated for deans says that he liked doing the extra work. “I feel like the position we’re in right now, I think, hurts us more because now we do have a relationship with the kids that we used to have but it’s not the same because we’re not walking down the hallways, we’re not telling them ‘hey go to class and go do what you need to do to get the job done.” When asked if he preferred the way his job worked last year, McKinley said that he did. 

However, McKinley pointed out the problem that when he had all those extra jobs, they weren’t getting paid as much as a dean was. “A dean would be more on a salary base and a security monitor would be like a $16 wage,” McKinley said. He continued to say that “as security monitors we also complained about them not paying us good money about doing the deans work and then since they aren’t gonna pay us we’re gonna put ya’ll in the position to not do their work”.  

Even though the security monitors are now doing what their job descriptions state, some could argue that some of the community that we had in the past years has been lost. 

“I think we are planning on getting another dean,” said Vice Principal Steve Simondet. “We already have one dean designated per grade. Deans are supposed to help and support students with behavior issues, grades, and getting to class. In the past years we’ve had the 4 deans with security monitors assistance.”

“The question is why didn’t we just pay the security monitors more to help out with jobs outside of their description, instead of having them sit in one place all day because now without the security monitors help we might get an entirely new dean and staff member,” Simondet said.