GENEVA COUNTY, Ala. (WTVY) -Geneva County school officials are working to hire an additional school resource officer as teachers and students return to the classroom.<\/p>\n
Superintendent Becky Birdsong said student safety is the school system\u2019s top priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told all of our staff, on the first day back, that we have two priorities in this order: one, safety. Student safety above anything else. Above learning, above feeding, anything else, student safety, and then learning. So, you know, in this day and age, I\u2019m just unwilling to go without an armed SRO on each of our campuses,\u201d Birdsong said.<\/p>\n
Staffing challenges affect hiring<\/p>\n
The National Association of School Resource Officers recommends at least one SRO per school. Filling those positions locally has been complicated by a staffing shortage in law enforcement.<\/p>\n
Hartford Police Chief Zachary Cooke said staffing is a widespread issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, if you ask any chief of police anywhere, right now, staffing is really our number one problem in law enforcement. And that certainly does, you know, bleed over to the schools,\u201d Cooke said.<\/p>\n
Geneva County High, Middle and Elementary Schools are in a centralized area serving more than 800 students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The close proximity of the campuses works in favor of law enforcement, but hiring a second SRO remains a goal.<\/p>\n
Response time cited as key factor<\/p>\n
Cooke said response time is central to the decision to add a second SRO. He described an incident from last school year as an example.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a citizen wander on the school\u2019s campus. And we, he was experiencing a mental health crisis. And, you know, the teachers that made contact with him, or who he made contact with, got a weird vibe about it, you know. And so, they used the already existing school security system called Centegix over at the school, where they have all the teachers and staff members have badges, where if they see something out of sorts, and they need, they can initiate a lockdown by pressing on that badge. And so, one of the teachers did. The school went into lockdown. My SRO was on scene, and, you know, he made contact with a guy in like 15 seconds, and then I was there shortly after. Just a situation that shows, you know, response time matters,\u201d Cooke said.<\/p>\n
Birdsong said SROs play an important role in education, which is why hiring an additional officer remains a top priority for the district.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt any one time, Monday through Friday, when we have school in our small towns, the highest concentration of people, you know, is on the school campus. So, we don\u2019t have another, another place, venue, that has that many people. So, it\u2019s a priority. It\u2019s our number one priority: student safety. And so, we\u2019re going to make sure that happens,\u201d Birdsong said.<\/p>\n
The Hartford Police Department is accepting applications from certified police officers or retired law enforcement officers for the position.<\/p>\n
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