The Moniteau and Grove City school districts have dropped a contracted security company after learning that two of its former guards have criminal records.

Officials in the Mars and South Butler school districts, which also have Pond Security out of Allison Park, are deciding what action to take.

One of the former employees has a record of felony criminal trespass and of manufacturing and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance. The other ex-employee was convicted as a juvenile for an offense sexual in nature.

Moniteau on Thursday suspended services with Pond Security until further notice.

“We didn’t know anything about them sending security guards with criminal records,” said Superintendent George Svolos on Friday. “If we knew, we never, never would have permitted them to work here.”

The school used one to four security guards for special events, such as football games, musicals and grandparents’ day.

Its contract was approved in August 2009 at the rate of $16.52 an hour.

“We’re reviewing the situation and looking at what’s best for our district,” Svolos said.

He said at no point were the guards ever alone with the students.

“Student safety is a priority for us,” Svolos said. “Our students were and have been safe.”

Moniteau officials will continue to investigate the issue before making a final decision.

Rich Mextorf, Grove City superintendent, said Friday that he became aware on Monday that someone from Pond had worked in the district in 2010 without clearances. On Wednesday, he decided to discontinue using Pond.

He said he trusted the company to make sure its employees had the necessary clearances.

“If they’re not going to do that, we’re not going to use them,” Mextorf said. “It frustrates me.”

Mextorf did not know how long the district had used Pond guards. The district did not have a written contract with the company, he said.

Pond guards were hired for use to control crowds during basketball and football games. They were not used during the school day, he said.

For now, Mextorf said the district will use internal employees for security, such as teachers’ aides and custodians.

If the district chooses to use any other security company, Mextorf said he will make sure that the district has physical copies of the employees clearances.

“We’re not going to take anyone’s word for it,” Mextorf said.

In a statement, Kelly Sieber, executive director of Pond Security, said:

“We take the safety of our customers and the public very seriously, and it remains our top priority.

“We appreciate the support we are receiving from the vast majority of our customers. We want to reassure them of the integrity of our services and are taking aggressive action to prevent future breaches of our policies. Specifically:

“We are refreshing all security clearances by conducting comprehensive background checks on all of our employees and sharing the results of these checks with our customers. No personnel will be assigned to sensitive security situations until their clearances have been reconfirmed.”

Mars School Board President Dayle Ferguson said board members on Friday were gathering information on the situation.

“As a board, we have taken no action,” Ferguson said.

She said board members would discuss the issue at their 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday in the meeting room adjacent to the primary center.

Ferguson said one security guard from Pond is permanently stationed at the high school, and Pond guards are used for athletic events as needed.

The district on its own checks the clearances of the high school guards each year, Ferguson said.

“We are very diligent about that process,” she said.

Mars Superintendent William Pettigrew said Friday he would not present the board with a recommendation on the matter, preferring to leave any decisions up to the board.

The South Butler School District has used the security company on a limited basis, according to Jason Davidek, district spokesman.

It uses the guards for extra coverage at football games and other sporting events, he said.

The district has its own screening process, Davidek said, so the two Pond employees involved were never at any South Butler facility.

He added that the school board is aware of the situation and will decide what action to take.

Pond Security is an affiliate of Pond Security Service GmbhIt, based in Germany. It employs about 150 people in the United States.

The 8-year-old service provides security personnel, electronic monitoring and security consulting services.

The firm’s website states that prospective employees must pass an employment background check and drug screen, but does not state a criminal background check is done.

The men at the center of Pond’s controversy are:

Noble Ramsey, 44, of Aliquippa, who pleaded guilty in 1998 to felony criminal trespass and in 2005 to manufacturing and conspiracy to manufacture a controlled substance, both felony counts, according to court records.

Dennis Leroy Claypoole Jr., 30, of Grove City was convicted as a juvenile for an offense sexual in nature and is not allowed to be employed as someone who works with young people.

Eagle staff writers Ed Biller, John Bojarski, Pamela McCarrier and Paula Grubbs contributed to this report.