Rangely council approves school resource officer agreement after clarifying training and data access

The Rangely Town Council voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the local school district to provide a school resource officer for the 2025–2026 academic year.

Council members discussed edits the district requested to the draft, described in the meeting as primarily grammatical and as restrictions related to FIPA — a student-privacy rule the officer called analogous to HIPAA for schools. The officer who briefed the council, identified in the discussion as Clinton, said he does not need full student records under the agreement and that he only needs names and concise incident summaries when events occur.

Clinton told the council, “I just need names and data bursts if stuff happens,” and said he had completed SRO training. He added that other officers could take the SRO supervisory course; Lieutenant Gardner was mentioned as a potential additional trained supervisor.

Council members raised a separate concern about a clause that allows the school to request multiple SROs. One council member said the language could be read to permit additional officers and asked who would fill those roles and how they would be funded. The council discussed clarifying the operational chain and training requirements so any additional officers would meet SRO standards.

After discussion, the council voted to approve the IGA. Motion-maker Andy Schaefer and seconder Sean Morgan moved the measure; the motion carried by a voice vote. The council also referenced ongoing coordination on office access, secure Wi-Fi for the officer, and device-use protocols so police and school systems remain appropriately separated.

The IGA approval means the district and police department can implement the SRO placement for the coming school year; the council asked staff to confirm final edits and training status.