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Board renews SRO agreement; district to cover share previously funded by expired state grant
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Summary
The board approved a memorandum of agreement continuing the School Resource Officer partnership with Coldwater Police; staff clarified SROs focus on safety and law enforcement, not school discipline, and that a state grant that had covered part of the cost no longer exists, so the district will pay its percentage from general funds.
The Coldwater Community Schools Board of Education approved a memorandum of agreement to continue the SRO partnership with the Coldwater Police Department and discussed how the program interacts with school discipline and district budgets.
During discussion a board member asked whether school resource officers assist with school discipline. Staff responded that SROs focus on school safety and law‑enforcement responsibilities — for example, writing tickets for incidents such as marijuana or vaping — and that discipline remains the responsibility of school administrators.
A staff member also said the district previously received a state grant that covered the district's percentage of the SRO cost; that grant no longer exists, and the district will pay the required percentage from general funds going forward.
"They don't help with school discipline," a staff member said. "They help with school safety. That's their goal with us. So like when we have a marijuana or a vape or things like that, they'll help write a ticket, but as far as handling discipline, that's left to the administrators."
The board voted to approve the memorandum of agreement and extend the contract under the same terms as before, with the district accepting the budget implication of replacing the expired grant funds with general‑fund dollars.
The board recorded the vote and approved the motion during the action portion of the meeting.
