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RSU 10 board agrees to let Oxford County post for SRO and votes to hire provisional SSO until placement
Summary
After extended discussion about scope and local control, the board approved moving forward with Oxford County Sheriff's posting for a school resource officer (SRO) for Buckfield Junior‑Senior High and separately voted unanimously to hire a provisional school safety officer (SSO) to cover the interim.
The RSU 10 school board voted to allow Oxford County to post and proceed with hiring a school resource officer (SRO) for Buckfield Junior‑Senior High and simultaneously approved hiring a provisional, district‑managed school safety officer (SSO) to cover the interim.
Board member Erin made the motion ‘‘to proceed with the hiring process for the school resource officer with Oxford County Sheriffs,’’ which Kristen seconded. The motion passed after discussion; the board clerk recorded that Allison, Bonnie and Doug opposed while ‘‘Peggy and all others in favor,’’ producing a majority vote to move forward with the sheriff’s office posting and interview process.
Members who opposed the motion said they were uncomfortable with the sheriff’s handling and preferred a district‑hired school safety officer under local management. ‘‘I’m much more comfortable with us proceeding with a school safety officer, someone that we hire and manage,’’ Allison said during discussion.
Following that vote, the board considered a separate motion to hire a provisional SSO for the Nazinskott region until a sheriff‑deputy SRO is placed. Bonnie moved that the district ‘‘look to hire an SSO until we have an SRO available to us,’’ and Ed seconded. That motion passed unanimously.
Board discussion emphasized both the need for law‑enforcement training for an SRO and the board’s desire to avoid a coverage gap. A member said the sheriff’s office would form a five‑person interview committee including district representatives and Oxford County appointees; another trustee urged watching the County Commissioners’ meeting video for additional context on timing.
Outcomes recorded in the meeting: the board authorized Oxford County to post and proceed with the SRO hiring process and directed personnel staff to recruit/hire a provisional SSO to serve in the Nazinskott region until an SRO is placed and approved.
The board did not specify a start date for an SRO nor a firm timeline for the sheriff’s selection process; trustees asked staff to coordinate with Oxford County on interview committee membership and to clarify the expected schedule before the next meeting.
Speakers and attributions in this story come from the board meeting transcript. The board’s actions were limited to authorizing Oxford County to post and approving a provisional SSO; no formal contract between RSU 10 and the sheriff’s office was entered at this meeting.
