Stoughton Area School District board approves three-year SRO agreement, adopts related policy after extensive debate

The Stoughton Area School District Board of Education voted 5–3 to approve an intergovernmental agreement to place a school resource officer (SRO) in district schools for a three‑year term, and then voted to adopt a companion SRO policy.

Board members and staff debated safeguards for student information, how the SRO’s time would be allocated across five buildings, and how the district would measure whether the position affects student belonging and safety. The board’s approval included a stated expectation that the SRO would be subject to district policies on access to confidential records and that the district and police department would share training costs as mutually agreed.

The board’s decision follows two years of committee-level discussion and public and internal surveys showing mixed feedback on SROs. District administrators said the agreement’s structure includes periodic reporting and a defined three‑year review point so the parties can reassess the arrangement.

“In this agreement, one of the stipulations is that the SRO falls under our school district…