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Hodges urges board to restore full-time school resource officer after armed men walked near Speedwell Elementary
Summary
At the April 16 Wythe County School Board meeting, public commenter Mister Hodges described an incident at Speedwell Elementary in which two men carrying rifles walked through the school parking area and said the lack of a full-time school resource officer (SRO) left students and staff vulnerable; he urged the board to fix the staffing gap promptly.
Mister Hodges told the Wythe County School Board on April 16 that Speedwell Elementary staff and students faced a frightening situation when "two men walking down Cedar Springs Road" entered the school parking lot carrying rifles and staff had to lock doors and pull down shades.
"There is no reason for those kids in that factory to be at that school without ample full time protection from an SRO," Hodges said during the public-comment period, calling the absence of a full-time resource officer "not acceptable" and urging the board to "get this fixed sooner rather than later." He said substitute or part-time officers have filled in but the school remains without all-day coverage.
Hodges noted the event happened "only a week ago" and described the emotional impact on teachers and students, asking the board to prioritize a permanent solution. Board members did not announce an immediate operational or budgetary response on the record during public comment.
The board's agenda later moved to a series of routine approvals and policy votes; the meeting also went into closed session and later approved superintendent personnel recommendations, but Hodges' remarks were not followed on the public record by a board commitment to reinstate an SRO full time.
Next steps: Hodges asked that the board address the gap in SRO coverage; the board did not make a public motion or provide a timeline for action on the record during the same meeting.
