Should P.C. Schools employ School Resource Officers?
July 14, 2023 at 2:40 p.m.
The Port Chester School District has launched a safety and security survey to collect feedback from the community regarding the potential future of School Resource Officers.
School Resource Officers are certified, armed and uniformed law enforcement professionals who would work in the various Port Chester School District buildings. With specific training geared toward dealing with youth in school settings, the officers would be affiliated with the Port Chester and Rye Brook police departments and would oversee the schools that are located in those respective municipalities.
The adopted 2023-24 budget earmarked $360,000 for the implementation of a School Resource Officer program—money that was considered a set aside, giving the district flexibility without commitment.
Because School Resource Officers are a hotly debated practice across the country—with some feeling they’re a safety necessity and others believing they do more harm than good—the district wanted to gauge community perception and desire before making any moves.
The safety and security survey is a step in that process. The questionnaire, labeled “Community Survey,” can be found at www.portchesterschools.org. Written in both English and Spanish, it only takes a few minutes to complete and will be open until Thursday, July 20.
The three questions gauge interest in the program, while asking survey-takers to list ways they’d like to see safety and security improve at Port Chester Schools and the qualities they’d like to see in a potential School Resource Officer.
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