District OKs hiring resource officer

The Cedar Grove-Belgium  School Board last week unanimously approved creating a part-time community resource officer position.

Interim Supt. Claire Martin has been in discussions with the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department and Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office for months about the position. The district covers areas in both counties.

One reason to have an officer is due to the increasing frequency of school shootings across the state and country. Martin, who for nine years was superintendent of the  Chilton School District that had a full-time officer, said the perspective, especially in small communities, is, “We never thought this would happen in our community.

“I think we’re poised to have that attitude here,” she said. “I never feel unsafe here. But it can happen here as well as it can happen anywhere.”

The officer is expected to spend time in the high, middle and elementary schools to build relationships with students, something the board hopes that may help prevent school shootings and related tragedies.

The officer is also expected to serve as a resource for the villages and towns in the district.

The officer would not wear a police uniform in school.

“In these positions, (the Sheriff Department) stance is we’re more about the relationships than the uniform,” Martin said.

The officer would be hired by the district but commissioned by the Sheboygan Sheriff’s Department.

The district will purchase a gun for the officer that will be owned and maintained by the Sheriff’s Department.

The officer would work an average of three days, or 24 hours, per week.

The salary range is $18 to $20 per hour.

The position is the only part-time one in the district that offers benefits.

Board member Aileen Dahlke said it isn’t fair to the other part-time employees who don’t receive benefits, but Martin said the district can’t afford to provide benefits to all part-timers.

Before approving the position, the board came to a consensus on a job description that includes 12 qualifications and 14 essential duties before blessing the new position. Among the duties are conflict resolution, working with the schools and community to improve students’ attendance and grades and assisting with safety initiatives.