Taxpayers fork out up to $2m a year for security guards at South Australian public schools

SA’s public schools are spending serious sums on ad hoc security arrangements as violent and dangerous risks on campus increase.

South Australian public schools have collectively spent as much as $2m a year on security guards to patrol campuses, it can be revealed.

The statewide bill soared from about $815,000 three years ago to $2.02m last financial year.

So far in 2024-25 schools have paid SA Police or private security firms at least $1.07m to attend schools at all hours.

The costs – released following requests by The Advertiser – cover security during class time and after-hours events like student celebrations, as well as when an alarm system may be broken or to protect against property damage, arson or theft, including during construction.

The state government cannot say how much has been spent by individual schools.

Education Minister Blair Boyer says schools should not be reluctant to hire security guards if needed. Picture: Emma Brasier

SA Secondary Principals Association chief executive Kirsty Amos said leaders would mostly engage security to respond to “an unpredictable threat”, “quite significant conflict” or off-campus incidents which could “spill over” into the classroom or schoolyard.

These could include threats circulating on social media or an incident at a party attended by students, she said.

Education Minister Blair Boyer said security guards were “often a temporary response that make a lasting difference” and school leaders should not “feel reluctant or ashamed to use them”.

“I have always said I will give schools the resources they need when they need them. This includes the use of security guards,” Mr Boyer said.

The bill for security guards in 2023-24 was inflated, in part, because Kapunda High School required 24-hour security while repairs were undertaken in the wake of a building fire.

An ongoing security presence was also deemed necessary at Fregon Anangu School during community unrest in 2024.

Police security and bollards were installed at Glenunga International High School after its leadership received 13 threatening emails between November last year and February this year.

A man, whose identity is suppressed, has yet to plead to two counts of blackmail and one count of making it appear food had been contaminated.

Principal Wendy Johnson wrote to parents on Tuesday to inform them that the temporary bollards – installed in February – were being removed.

Extra security was set up around Glenunga International High School, including bollards. Picture: RoyVPhotography

In 2022, there were a series of violent incidents at northern suburbs public schools which were filmed and posted online.

A total $428,163 was paid to SA Police and $387,043 to private security firms to patrol schools that year, including Whyalla Secondary College, following a schoolyard attack, and Playford International College.

Almost $59,000 was reportedly spent by SA public schools on security guards in 2020 and $137,000 in 2021.

Opposition education spokeswoman Heidi Girolamo raised concerns about any impact on students of “seeing guards instead of teachers in the schoolyard”.

Opposition education spokeswoman Heidi Girolamo. Picture: Matt Loxton

There are about 170,000 students enrolled across hundreds of primary and high school campuses across SA.

Latest data shows police attend public school campuses more than 1000 times a year.

There were also more than 14,000 critical incidents reported by public schools in 2024, including violence, bullying and weapons on campus.

Private schools do not publicly report data on the use of security guards, police attendance or critical incidents.