Tywon Green, also known as “Sarg,” is a chemical and biological weapons specialist who has been on three tours of duty as a sergeant in the U.S. army. One of the eight campus supervisors added to the York security staff this year, he can often be found near the main entrance or patrolling the hallways.

“We monitor the hall traffic and secure the perimeter of the school,” Mr. Green said. “Plus, we yell at you guys.”

“The intent is to keep everybody safe and make sure kids are where they’re supposed to be,” Assistant Principal for Student Services Mrs. Goldman said.

Mr. Dietz, one of the deans, agreed. “Campus supervisors make things safer. It’s more orderly as far as where kids are and getting them to where they need to be,” he said.

The change is meant to affect students as little as possible, according to Dean Urbanski. No new policies were implemented for students.

“More areas of security are covered, and there are more people per shift, which might cause some changes,” he said

“If students are in the hallway, they need to have a pass. There are more people throughout the building, but expectations and policies have not changed,” Mrs. Goldman said.  “It’s really about reinforcing the policies that are already in place.”

“We try our best to enforce the rules, like going to class, having hall passes, following the dress code and dealing with kids who are ditching class,” Mr. Green said.

The eight campus supervisors are Mr. Contreras, Mr. Dicanio, Mr. Mangan, Mr. Green, Ms. Yasdick, Ms. Herbert, Mrs. G and Mrs. Mueller.

“Some faces will be familiar; some won’t be,” Mrs. Goldman said.

Mr. Contreras is among those new to York, but after twenty years in the business, he is not new to security.

“This is my first year at York but not my first year working in a high school. I worked at Plainfield. I also did corporate security for The Four Seasons as a bodyguard,” he said.

No specific event triggered the change, Mr. Urbanski said. York embodies a national trend towards tighter school safety measures. In a National Center for Education Statistics poll, 68 percent of students reported security guards/assigned police officers in their schools, up from 54 percent in 1999.

According to the District 205 website, “Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 continues to refine its crisis response planning and to be vigilant about the safety of its students and staff.”

Mr. Contreras sees increasing security in a positive light: “There’s nothing wrong with asking people for IDs.”

“We always thought we had good security, now we are increasing security by having campus supervisors all over the building to check on students and people who are in the building,” Mrs. Goldman said.

With safety the foremost concern, it doesn’t hurt that campus supervisors keep students in class as opposed to roaming the halls or slipping out the door.

“There is a strong correlation between students who aren’t in the classroom and students who are not learning,” Mr. Urbanski said.

“I’m mean, and I’m diligent,” Mr. Green said.