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Massena superintendent to present options for armed in-school cop at December board meeting

Posted 11/15/18

By ANDY GARDNER North Country Now MASSENA -- The Massena Central superintendent says he will give a presentation at the December Board of Education meeting to go over options for adding an armed …

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Massena superintendent to present options for armed in-school cop at December board meeting

Posted

By ANDY GARDNER
North Country Now

MASSENA -- The Massena Central superintendent says he will give a presentation at the December Board of Education meeting to go over options for adding an armed in-school police officer, which officials refer to as a "school resource officer."

Speaking at Thursday's school board meeting, Superintendent Pat Brady said the presentation will include the results of a survey the district took where they asked students, staff and district families for input on the proposal. It was open from Nov. 2 to 9.

"We had 1,100 students and parents and staff members who responded," Brady said. "We're looking to have a community forum at some point down the road to gather community input."

He said they have spoken with St. Lawrence County Civil Service, which would govern the in-school officer as a non-professional position. They gave suggestions on how the district could carry out the program.

"We'll present those options at the next meeting," Brady said, adding that he will also present on options for the agreement they would need with the village since the officer would likely come from the Massena Police Department.

Earlier this month, Brady said he feels if Massena adds an in-school cop, the officer should carry a gun. He said the officer would be at a serious disadvantage if there was ever an active shooter situation or a serious threat of violence.

At the same time, Brady said he doesn't want the officer there to arrest students for conduct that would normally be treated as an in-house disciplinary matter. He feels the officer would only get involved if there was a serious safety issue where police would be called anyway.

Massena Central had an armed officer on campus in the mid-2000s. Officer Patrick Serguson, who has since retired and is now a Massena town justice, patrolled the school from 2002 to 2007, Brady said in March. The officer spent most of his time at the high school and J.W. Leary Junior High, where Brady at the time worked as a school administrator. Earlier this month, the superintendent called the program "very successful."