Submitted article
The Bucyrus City School District Board of Education unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Bucyrus Police Department to reinstate the School Resource Officer program in the district during the board’s regular monthly meeting Dec. 18.
The program will begin when the district returns from the Winter Recess Jan. 5. Bucyrus Police Officer Tom Walker will serve as the district’s School Resource Officer, splitting time equally between the Bucyrus Secondary School and the Bucyrus Elementary School.
“The decision made tonight is a proactive step to enhance an already safe learning environment for our students, staff and administrators,” Board of Education President Bradley Murtiff said. “As the parent of a student in this district, I am most excited for the educational programs that Officer Walker will be providing for our students and staff.”
The program returns to the Bucyrus City School District after a ten-year hiatus. Officer Walker’s duties as the School Resource Officer will focus on three specific areas: Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement and Educational Programming.
“Our buildings are safer today than they were just three years ago,” Superintendent Kevin Kimmel said. “Both the Elementary School and Secondary School have experienced significant decreases in student discipline referrals and reports since the 2011-2012 school year.”
In a three-year period, the Secondary School student discipline referrals and reports have decreased by an impressive 48 percent, while the decrease at the Elementary School has been a staggering 67 percent. Obvious signs that the district is providing a safer learning environment for students and teachers.
“This is not a ‘knee jerk reaction’ to any incident in our district,” Kimmel said. “We have conducted surveys over the last two years and identified student and staff safety as a both a strength in our district and an area for improvement at the same time.”
Eighty-five percent of respondents to the district’s Community Feedback survey this summer indicated that they strongly agree or agree that the Bucyrus City School District is providing a safe learning environment. Respondents from the Open Enrollment In survey identified school safety and a welcoming school atmosphere as their top two reasons for enrolling their child in to the Bucyrus City School District. Those who had attended the Bucyrus City School District and left cited school safety as their top reason for leaving in the Open Enrollment Out survey.
“The survey results speak loud and clear,” Kimmel said. “We are doing a good job providing a safe school environment, but we can always do more to strengthen school safety and the School Resource Officer is a step in that direction.”
The district will enjoy the added safety and educational benefits of the School Resource Officer without the investment of precious general fund dollars. The recent passage of the Safety Services Levy in the City of Bucyrus is providing the Bucyrus Police Department with the resources to make the School Resource Officer program a priority and allocate the necessary manpower.
“The Safety Forces levy has allowed us to bring our staffing levels back to a level that matches the size of the city,” Bucyrus Chief of Police David Koepke said. “It has also allowed us to reinstate the School Resource Officer program in the Bucyrus City School District to help provide an even safer learning environment for students and staff.”
“As the Superintendent, I am excited about the opportunities this program presents for our students, teachers and community to strengthen the already positive relationships with our community’s law enforcement officers,” Kimmel said. “As a parent of three children in the Bucyrus City School District, I am excited about the program because it is a proactive step to enhance an already safe school environment for my children and the children of other parents in our community and it expands the educational opportunities for my children. It’s a win-win situation for the entire Bucyrus community.”