ERIC Number: EJ1475963
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0018-1498
EISSN: EISSN-1534-5157
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Who Is on Guard? An Analysis of School Security Guard Job Descriptions
F. Chris Curran; Jennifer C. Curran
High School Journal, v107 n4 p268-294 2024
Security personnel are in most public high schools nationwide, a presence that has increased over the last several decades. While prior research has extensively studied the role of sworn school-based law enforcement, less work has examined the roles and responsibilities of non-sworn school security guards. Drawing on a national sample of school security guard job advertisements, this study leverages role and signaling theory to examine their articulated responsibilities and expectations. Descriptive analysis of job characteristics and qualifications along with content analysis of job descriptions reveals that security guards are expected to maintain safety through a security-oriented set of responsibilities. Security guards are often expected to engage in high-stakes situations--involving emergency response, student discipline, and interfacing with law enforcement--despite requiring relatively little formal educational or job-specific training. The findings are interpreted against a backdrop of prior literature and policy action that suggests a desire for school safety enhancements but a concern about the unintended criminalization of students.
Descriptors: Security Personnel, Role, Employment Qualifications, Occupational Information, Responsibility, School Safety, School Security, High Schools
University of North Carolina Press. 116 South Boundary Street, P.O. Box 2288, Chapel Hill, NC 27515-2288. Tel: 800-848-6224; Tel: 919-966-7449; Fax: 919-962-2704; e-mail: uncpress@unc.edu; Web site: https://ed.unc.edu/high-school-journal/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A