SARAH CARPENTER (’20)

Students who returned to school this August may have noticed one major change: the absence of a secretary at the front desk. Though it may seem like it is not a major problem for the school, this issue is still extremely concerning.

Many students say that not having a secretary has not caused them any inconvenience, and some even said that they didn’t even realize there was no secretary. One student even stated that they thought cutting the secretary was the right move, as they believed it was an nonessential position, and that the office staff seemed to be handling the situation well.

The removal of a secretary causes issue for both students and staff, as well as parents in the Granville School District.

The absence of a secretary poses a major inconvenience for students. Some injured or sick students say that they walk into the office looking for the nurse, but find that they have to wait until she is available because she is covering the secretary position. The waiting time causes students to waste more time out of class, and within that time frame they may miss critical information given in class.

Parents have also felt the effects of having no secretary at the front desk. One parent stated that when they called the front desk, sometimes nobody would answer. Another parent stated that she was confused when nobody was at the front desk, as they did not realize that there was no permanent secretary. The same parent also stated that they had to wait for someone to show up at the desk.

Another concern is the overload of work that the office staff may face while acting as secretary. Though the office staff seems to be handling the situation as best as they can, they really are not responsible for the duties of a secretary. While they are acting as secretary, the office staff is getting behind in other work that they could be doing.

Though the lack of a secretary does cause inconvenience for everyone within the Granville School District, the main concern with this issue is the safety threat it poses. Without someone to cover the desk full time, the front door is not always being watched, which may give unauthorized people an opportunity to enter in the school building, causing a threat to students and staff. Because of this, a front desk secretary is one of the most necessary positions to fill.

Though I understand that the secretary had to be cut because of the failure to pass the levy, people need to realize that this is a major issue for our school. Unlike in the corporate world where secretaries only work for one person, school secretaries work for all staff, students and even parents of the district. Being a secretary is too important a job to be tossed around by different people.

In November, the Granville community needs to vote for the new levy that the school is proposing. Though this levy will only help maintain what the school currently has, it will be a step forward in solving this problem.