The Seymour Board of Education, in collaboration with the Seymour Board of Police Commissioners, is entrusted with the safety of our children and school district staff as a very important and serious part of the community’s responsibility to educate our children. Without a safe and secure school environment, the educational process cannot occur.
Significant and important school security measures were implemented in Seymour following the tragic Sandy Hook School incident last December which included the assignment of a police officer to our four schools and an increased police presence at the beginning and the close of each school day at each of our schools. Other security enhancements, improvements and procedures have been made and implemented in our schools over the past months.
However, the assignment of a police officer dedicated to patrol our schools was eliminated at the beginning of this school year.
The Police Department has indicated that a lack of available personnel due to various stated circumstances and budget constraints are responsible for the elimination of the position.
We need to restore the assignment of a police officer whose duties are strictly dedicated to the security of our school children, our school district staff and the public when visiting our schools.
An officer assigned exclusively to our schools allows him or her to know the school facilities thoroughly, the routines at the beginning and the end of each school day as well as staff and students.
The assignment of such an officer provides an increased security presence with the eyes and ears of a trained individual to supplement and enhance the regular shift patrols of the Police Department during every school day.
As a member of the Seymour Board of Education, I strongly support the assignment of an officer whose patrol is strictly dedicated to our schools.
We cannot be too careful and too vigilant. While we definitely need to adjust our municipal board budgets to assure the restoration of such a position, we must also examine and adjust our present procedures and policies to restore such a position as soon as possible.
I will continue the discussion so that hopefully the responsible municipal boards involved in the decision making process will reallocate funds or positions during the present school year and assure that such a position is properly budgeted for the next school year.
The writer is a member of the Seymour Board of Education running for re-election on the Democratic line.
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