SLIPPERY ROCK TWP — A second security guard may be stationed at the Slippery Rock High School next year.

The school board on Monday voted to authorize discussing the possibility of adding the guard to work during the day at the building.

Paul Cessar, business manager, said an additional guard, who would work at the school from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., would cost an additional $20,000 per year.

He said the district is negotiating its annual contract with Pond Security of Allison Park and the board will vote on the contract in July. This year, the district pays $18 per hour for guards, about $25,000 for the year.

Board member Mark Taylor said he was OK with the added cost.

“I think that’s reasonable,” Taylor said.

Board Vice President Ken Speer said the high school is a very open building.

“We have to do something there,” Speer said.

In May, the board approved more than $900,000 in security upgrades at the middle school and two elementary schools that included construction of secure vestibules and electronic latches on doors.

In March, HHSDR Architects of Sharon and Pittsburgh presented two options for increasing security at the high school.

One option cost $2 million and the other option cost $1.67 million. Both involve access doors with card readers and electronic latches, new entrances with security vestibules and new office area.

Earlier this month, Taylor suggested looking into how much it would cost to add a second guard to the school and wondered if a scaled-back version of the upgrades would be a good idea. He suggested that the guard escort visitors from the front door to the office.

Currently, the school has one guard, from Allison Park-based Pond Security, at the school for general security, monitoring parking, escorting students and other tasks.

Taylor said the board probably should consider modifying its visitation policy so no visitor can walk through the school without an escort.

Cessar said he is not sure if there are enough staff members to escort every visitor throughout the building.

Board member Polly Shaw said that having visitors escorted everywhere in the building could be unreasonable. If visitors have multiple meetings, she said, they would have to call for an escort after every meeting.