The Evans County School board approved an agreement with the City of Claxton and Claxton Police Department at it’s Monday meeting to provide a School Resource Officer to the school system.
Under the agreement, the Claxton Police Department would provide an officer and all necessary equipment to the school system while school is in session. While school is not in session, the officer would assume normal duties with the Claxton Police Department. The School Resource Officer would be a contracted service, with a cost of $50,000 dollars per year, that would be paid on a monthly basis. Dr. Martin Waters, superintendent of Evans County Schools noted that it would be paid for through local funds, however there was money allocated to School safety in the Georgia state fiscal year 2019 budget, that might pay for the officer, although they had not received official notification of the allocation. Waters also raised the possibility of grant money available at the federal level as well. The contract also provides for supervision of extra-curricular activities such as football and basketball games.
In his recommendation to the board to approve the contract, Evans County superintendent of schools called the partnership “An exciting opportunity”. Not only for school safety but that would also “build the relationship between our police department and youth” and show them that “the authority that those individuals carry is to serve and protect. It is not to take advantage of, or to discriminate on, but to build that healthy relationship starting at the elementary school and working up through the middle and high school.”
You can watch the full meeting below:
