Molly VandenBerg
Staff Writer
There has been ongoing controversy recently involving the absence of a school resource officer at the Fredonia Central School District.
An SRO is a law enforcement officer who is sent by a police department or agency to work in collaboration with one or more schools. The SRO should help provide safe learning environments, resources to other school staff members and investigate violations of criminal law such as possible weapon violations or identifying a controlled substance.
The Fredonia School District did actually have a police officer serving the role of an SRO until three years ago.
A large portion of Fredonia trustees agreed to drop the SRO position entirely from the 2015-2016 school budget. With this decision, they chose to still keep the police force with 14 full-time staff, according to an article reported by the Dunkirk Observer.
The almost $300,000 budget deficit was a result of the Carriage House closing. This closure cost the Fredonia-Dunkirk community over 520 jobs.
Why are parents expressing their desire for the district to hire another SRO?
Julie LaGrow, a member of the Fredonia community, believes that a SRO would make school a better place for everyone.
“As a mother with three students in the district, safety is very important to me, as it would be to any parent . . . we need to be more proactive and create a positive and safe environment for our students and teachers. When I hear how frequently the police are called into the school it makes me think that teachers and administrators are being forced to focus on safety concerns rather than teaching, and our kids are being distracted from their learning,” said LaGrow.
To help further the cause, Lagrow proposed to FCSD that they implement the Sandy Hook Promise Program. This program was founded by family members who lost loved ones at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
There are several intricate parts that comprise of the program including: free suicide prevention training for students and adults, “Say Something” training for children and teenagers to recognize signs that an individual may be a threat to themselves or others so they can let a trusted adult be aware of the situation and the “Start with Hello” program which teaches students of all ages to be more inclusive and connected with each other.
LaGrow also created a petition on change.org in hopes that this would motivate the Fredonia Board of Education to reinstate the position. She has received almost 350 signatures with her efforts.
Fredonia Mayor Athanasia Landis has also expressed her desire to have an SRO in the FCSD.
“In this time of era with drug abuse, and psychological and psychiatric issues, I don’t understand why a specific police officer, a special full-time officer who is trained, isn’t here everyday,” said Landis before the Fredonia Board of Education — as reported by another article for the Observer. This problem isn’t just specific to the Fredonia-Dunkirk area.
Following the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL., school districts around the country have contemplated adding an SRO to their district staff. Even President Trump thinks they should be in every school.
According to an article from NPR, The National Association of School Resource Officers estimates that there are currently between 14,000 and 20,000 officers in about 30 percent of our country’s schools.