A parent told the Elyria City School District Board of Education on Oct. 15 that the district had opted not to renew a contract for a school resource officer (SRO) at Westwood and urged the board to reallocate an SRO to that building.

The parent, identified in the meeting as Ashley of 6278 Murray Ridge Road, said she had been told in a phone call from Major Jeff Krippina of the Lorain County Sheriff's Office that the district had not renewed an SRO contract for Westwood. "I was informed that Elyria City School District opted not to renew their contract for an SRO at Westwood," Ashley said, adding she believed the district should allocate at least one of its seven SROs to Westwood while concerns over bathroom safety remain.

The statement drew attention from the board because the superintendent's action items later on the agenda included approval of a memorandum of understanding between the Elyria City School District and the Lorain County Sheriff's Office regarding SROs. The board approved the superintendent's action items by roll call that included the MOU vote.

Why it matters: The parent said she believed a contract created a legally binding obligation and said she had received information from the sheriff's office about current officer allocations. The item ties public concern about building-level security to a formal board action approving an SRO agreement with the county's sheriff's office.

Details from the meeting: Ashley told the board she had previously emailed the district and, after a screenshot of that email reached the sheriff's office, Major Krippina confirmed the district had not renewed an SRO contract at Westwood. She said she could see on the sheriff's public website that an officer (Officer Reid) was assigned to JVS and that a deputy (Lashley) who had been present last year was not currently assigned to Westwood.

Superintendent Len Hauser had listed as part of his action items "to approve the MOU between the Elyria City School District and the Lorain County Sheriff's Office regarding the SRO as detailed below." The board voted to approve the superintendent's action items; the roll call on that motion recorded ayes from the members present and the motion carried.

What the board did not say on the record: The meeting record shows the MOU was approved as part of the superintendent's action items, but the board did not discuss the contents of the MOU on the public record at length during the meeting, and no detailed allocation schedule for officers was read into the record during public comment. Ashley said Major Krippina offered to provide allocation details and that some allocation information is available on the sheriff's public website.

Next steps noted at the meeting: The board entered an executive session later in the meeting for a personnel matter; the public record does not show additional public discussion or a separate vote specifically titled "SRO contract renewal" beyond the superintendent's action items that included the MOU approval.

Community context: Ashley urged the board to prioritize student safety over administrative procedures for public comment and said she would withhold future electoral support if she believed safety needs were not addressed.

Ending: The board approved the superintendent's action items, which included the SRO MOU; the meeting record does not include the full text of the MOU or a line-by-line allocation schedule for officers. Ashley said she would meet with sheriff's office officials for further detail.