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The Altoona Area School District's security staff is a well-functioning component of the school system.
The appropriate question now before district officials is whether the size of that staff remains adequate for its current level of responsibilities.
Altoona officials will be making that determination in the days and, perhaps, weeks ahead, in response to a board member's concern.
Actually, the evaluation that will be taking place here is one that could be imitated in other districts.
It is no secret that solid security measures are needed now more than ever before -- and that should not be construed as a negative reflection on the Altoona area, its schools, teachers, administrators and students.
As numerous other school systems across this nation can attest, the unexpected can happen without a moment's notice. Security needs to be adequate and ready to respond immediately and effectively.
Anything less can pave the way for tragic consequences.
It was school director Rick Hoover who asked whether the size of the district's security staff still is adequate in terms of being able to mobilize a quick response.
"Our staff is doing a great job, but I wonder if our numbers are sufficient," he asked.
A significant amount of his concern was geared toward outlying elementary schools; he questioned the response time for the district's interdepartmental police.
He said he researched other school districts of comparable size and found that others have security staffs much larger than Altoona's.
However, many more considerations than districts' size go into security-staffing decisions. For example, there are districts of Altoona's size that have much bigger crime problems than the Mountain City and its environs.
"I know we have outside police departments, but I'm just looking interdepartmental to see if we can get any more staff locally," he added.
The 2021-22 budget already is in place. Therefore, it is questionable how much can be done this fiscal year to bolster the local security force without additional funding, from the state or wherever.
Regardless, the security review that will be conducted can serve as a valuable tool when the board is looking to 2022-23, even beyond.
As reported in a Mirror article on Wednesday, the district currently has five police officers, six greeters and two security guards serving the district's 13 buildings, 11 of which are home to student classes.
It is easy to envision how those numbers could be a source of concern, but numbers by themselves, without related facts, could imply a problem that either does not exist or is of less severity than people might suspect.
After the security review is conducted, district officials will have the responsibility to convey the findings to employees and parents.
And, if more staffing is deemed necessary, discussion must begin immediately on how the situation will be addressed -- and over what projected time period.
People who serve in elected positions need to ask questions. No matter how the issue shakes out eventually, Hoover was correct in bringing the issue to the forefront at a public meeting.