By Melanie Lekocevic
Capital Region Independent Media
RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — The RCS school district is considering hiring a retired police officer or other security employee to monitor the high school and middle school during its after-hours.
The issue came up at the Nov. 6 meeting of the RCS Board of Education. Board of education member Matthew Miller asked that the motion to hire a security officer be tabled pending further discussion and input from the community.
“I think we should have more time to look at it and have discussions about what to do and what it’s going to look like,” Miller said.
District Superintendent Dr. Brian Bailey said the district’s risk management firm identified school buildings that are in use after the school day ends for events such as practices, games, rehearsals, art exhibits and so on, but don’t have security in place for those time periods. During the regular school day, there is an SRO, or school resource officer, on site.
“Although there are coaches and advisors and teachers and administrators, there is not one person here with continuity to assist with safety and security on a regular basis between the hours of 2:30 and 10 p.m.,” Bailey told the board. “In talking with Needham Risk Management, one of the things they suggested is having someone to serve in a security capacity in those second shift hours.”
If the position is approved by the board, the security officer would patrol the middle school and high school campus, focusing primarily on the high school, where the majority of after-school activity takes place.
“Considering the diversity of things that we have here, especially at the high school, having someone with security or law enforcement training who can be here on a daily basis, Monday through Friday during those hours, would be enormously helpful in creating continuity in our building security after hours,” Bailey said.
The district could consider hiring a retired police officer at an annual rate of $35,000 — the maximum rate retired officers are permitted to earn and retain their pension. The employee would not need health insurance as that would be provided through their former employer. That is what other school districts in the area have opted to do, Bailey said.
“This is the lesser of investments for us,” the superintendent said. “We could ask for an SRO to serve in the evening hours as well, and they are about $65,000 for us.”
Trained security officers could also fit the bill.
The employee would be unarmed. The specific hours of employment have yet to be determined, Bailey said.
Miller asked what would be done if the security employee were to call in sick. Bailey responded that they would have a list of qualified individuals ready to serve as a substitute, just as other positions in the district have.
Miller said he wanted to table the issue so the community could have their say.
“I would like to hear what they have to say before we go ahead and vote on it because this is the first time, I assume, that the community is hearing about it,” Miller said. “I would like to wait a little bit just to see where they stand because sometimes we have seen in other school districts, and even around here, that school officers can be controversial for different reasons, so rather than vote on it and have the controversy come later, let’s hear what they have to say.”
To generate input into the decision, information about the position will likely be incorporated into the RCS district’s weekly newsletter or in an email to the school community.
