Beacon board discusses adding school resource officer and agrees to table further action
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Summary
Superintendent Matt told the board that most comparable Dutchess County high schools have an SRO and that adding one at Beacon would require reducing other security staff; after discussion the board agreed by consensus to table the proposal for now.
The Beacon City School District Board of Education discussed whether to add a school resource officer (SRO) on Dec. 15 and agreed to table the issue while gathering additional information.
Superintendent Matt told the board he surveyed neighboring districts and reported that most comparable high schools have an SRO. "Each of these districts has an SRO in their high school. So we're the only that does not," Matt said, and he warned that adding an SRO without reallocating other positions would make Beacon an outlier in security staffing and spending; he said the district would likely need to reduce 2–3 security‑guard positions to accommodate an SRO.
Board members expressed a range of views during a roundtable. Board member Eric said, "I think it is important to have" an SRO in some contexts, while other members raised concerns about student comfort, effectiveness and the trade-offs of reducing existing guard coverage. Multiple members said they were not convinced to move forward at this time and favored tabling the discussion. The Board President said the topic would be revisited if new information, a staffing transition, or substantial community interest emerges.
No formal policy or staffing change was adopted; the board recorded a consensus to table the matter and requested further exploration of staffing implications and community input.
