HOULTON, Maine — Should the town of Houlton and RSU 29 school district combine funds to create a school resource officer position?
That was the question being asked Monday evening at a special town council meeting as RSU 29 Superintendent Ellen Halladay, board chairman Fred Grant and Houlton Police Chief Tim DeLuca asked the council to consider sharing the costs of creating this new position.
“This issue is very important to our school,” Grant said. “Schools are much different than when we were in school. We have seen some horrendous events take place across the country over the last several years. Fortunately, for the state of Maine, we have not had any mass shootings take place, but unfortunately, that day is coming when something horrendous is going to take place.”
Grant said the district has done a fine job of increasing security measures at all of the schools, including automatic locks that require visitors to be approved before gaining entrance, and security cameras on buses and in the hallways and parking lots of Houlton Middle-High, Elementary and Southside schools.
However, more work needs to be done to help prevent incidents from happening through education, which is where the school resource officer comes into play, he added.
“What we are really thinking about is having a way for our students and families to have a relationship with police,” Grant said. “It’s not enough to lock our doors, put in security cameras or to train students and staff. If something were to happen, a tragic event in our schools, and we had not moved forward with this (position) as an option, there is no amount of regret that would allow us to go back in time to put this position in place.”
Halladay said school safety has been one of her main priorities since coming on board with the district in July 2015. To that end, the district has applied for a regional grant along with Region 2, SAD 70, RSU 50 and SAD 14 to do a safety analysis of all its properties.
“It’s all about mitigating risks,” she said. “I have talked with other superintendents and it has become a time for a school of our size to have a school resource officer.”
Chief DeLuca said he felt it was important to have a law enforcement officer in the schools on a daily basis so the officer can interact with the students, to make them feel more comfortable with approaching police with any issues or troubles they may have.
“It’s all about developing a rapport with the students,” he said.
DeLuca stated that from Jan. 1, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2017, the Houlton Police Department responded to 70 calls for service at RSU 29 schools. The HPD already has surpassed that number this year, responding to 97 calls for service between Jan. 1 and Nov. 20. Many of those calls are for truancy matters, he said, but the department also has responded to complaints about bullying, drugs and assaults.
The cost for the position is estimated at $73,881, including health insurance and benefits. Halladay was able to adjust the RSU 29 budget, which runs from July 1 to June 30, to accomodate for the position, but the board would like the town to contribute 30 percent of the total cost.
If the position is created, RSU 29 would become the fifth school district in Aroostook County to employ a school resource officer. In late August, RSU 39 (Caribou) added a 27-year veteran of law enforcement to its staff when their school board hired Kevin St. Peter to be that district’s SRO. That position, however, was funded entirely by the RSU 39 budget.
SAD 1 in Presque Isle and the Limestone Community School also have full-time SRO positions, while the Madawaska School Department employs a part-time SRO, according to Halliday.
Houlton Police Department Det. Stephen Nason briefly served as a school resource officer for RSU 29 several years ago as part of a COPS grant, but the position ended when the grant money was exhausted.
Some members of the town council were receptive to the idea of adding an RSO, but others wanted more information on how other school districts were funding their positions before they would agree to commit town funds.
The councilors will revisit the matter at their next regular meeting, scheduled for Monday, Dec. 10.
