Board approves contracts for school resource officers as members raise school-zone and bus safety concerns

The board approved contracts for three school resource officers: two officers from the Fremont Police Department and one deputy from the county sheriff's department. The superintendent told the board the contracts contain no changes from the prior year beyond updated time frames, and the board approved the items by roll call.

During board member communications, several members emphasized safety: one member urged drivers to slow down in school zones; another described riding on an elementary bus where a vehicle passed the bus while students were exiting and said the driver and students used established crossing signals to keep the child safe. The board discussed enforcement and community responsibility for obeying stop-arm and reduced-speed zones.

Board members also raised a traffic-safety concern at Fremont Ross High School. They described a frequently ignored "right turn only" restriction when exiting the Ross parking lot onto North Street. Members asked the superintendent and transportation staff to consider clearer signage or a lighted sign to reduce illegal left turns that they said create safety and traffic-flow risks for students who walk or bike to school.

Discussion vs. decision: The SRO contracts (items 2 and 3) were approved by roll call vote. Safety remarks and the request for signage were part of board member communications; the board requested staff follow-up, but no formal motion on additional signage or enforcement was taken at this meeting.

Ending: Board members praised the visibility of SROs at recent events and asked staff to continue monitoring school-zone and bus-stop compliance.