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RSU 23 reports further difficulty securing a resource officer; district trained staff in threat assessment
Summary
Superintendent John Suttie told the RSU 23 board the district remains unable to secure a police resource officer and that private contracted security would need to be unarmed per the district’s account; the district also reported 14 staff completed CSTAG training and will present findings next month.
Superintendent John Suttie told the RSU 23 board Dec. 14 that the district has been unable for the past two years to secure a police resource officer. The district explored private contracting but, according to Suttie, learned that contracted officers would need to be unarmed because “you cannot have a firearm within 500 feet of a school,” and therefore returned to discussions with the police department.
Suttie said the district will continue to pursue options for on-site security. He also reported that 14 people in the district completed a 10-hour CSTAG training course designed to help school teams evaluate and respond to threats; the district plans a presentation on that training for the board next month.
The minutes note the district initially pursued a resource officer through the police department and then met with a private security company; no contract or final decision was presented to the board at the meeting. The minutes also indicate the police department told the district it could not provide a resource officer at this time. The board did not take formal action on school safety staffing during the meeting.
The board’s discussion is recorded as a status update rather than a policy decision; implementation will require further negotiation with law enforcement and any contracted provider.
