SRO position will go to board vote

School Board
By: 
Pete Temple
Express Associate Editor

     A job description and a sample 28E agreement have been developed, should the district decide a School Resource Officer (SRO) should be part of everyday life in the school buildings of the Monticello Community School District.

     The topic was part of the superintendent’s report during the Monday, Aug. 27 regular meeting of the Monticello School Board.

     An SRO would be a full-time police officer who would provide security, make safety presentations to students and staff, and more throughout each of the district’s four buildings.

     As discussed during the Aug. 14 work session, the district has been talking about the possibility since the middle of the last school year. At that time, the board indicated it was worth looking into, so a job description was developed by the Monticello Police Department.

     According to the description, among an SRO’s tasks in Monticello would be to:

     • Take law enforcement action to protect against unwanted intruders, identify and prevent delinquent behavior, including substance abuse.

     • Conduct building security assessments for all district schools; guard, check and secure doors, rooms, buildings, and equipment.

     • Work closely with district administrators on safety protocols and regulations.

     • Provide in-service training to help administrators be better prepared to deal with security-related matters.

     The item will be up for possible approval at the board’s regular meeting Tuesday, Sept. 25. It will be held Tuesday rather than the usual Monday meeting because of homecoming activities scheduled for Sept. 24.

     While the board seemed supportive of the SRO idea, there was disagreement about another topic, Board Policy No. 1005.5 regarding memorials and special recognition.

     As the policy currently reads, any donation to the district, ranging anywhere from auditorium bricks and hallway leaves bearing the donor’s name, up to permanent structures within the district, would have to come to the board for approval.

     The sticking point is that the policy also states that approval would have to be unanimous. Board members Bud Johnson and Dave Melchert voiced their opinions that the unanimous portion of the policy should remain, while board members John Schlarmann and Craig Stadtmueller disagreed.

     What was agreed upon was that donations of the auditorium bricks and hallway leaves would be left to the discretion of Jaeger. Overall, however, the first reading of the policy was tabled for further discussion, and will be revisited during the Sept. 12 work session.

In other board business:

     • The board held a public hearing to convey real estate in Delaware County. With no public comments received, the board later voted to approve the measure. The approval conveys a parcel of land to the Sand Springs Community Center to clear title to the parcel.

     • As part of the consent agenda, the board approved the appointment of Connie Randolph as a special education child specific associate at Carpenter, and the transfer of Susan Swift from special education child specific associate at Carpenter to special ed program associate at Shannon.

     • The board approved budgets and contracts for the State Wide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP). As Mother Goose Preschool did not qualify as an SWVPP partner this year because it did not have a certified teacher, funds allocated from the state for Mother Goose Preschool, totaling nearly $16,000, will be allocated for use next year.

     • The board approved the donation of high school gym chairs by Ohnward Bank & Trust. Approval, as per board policy, required a unanimous vote.

 

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