In the wake of the devastating school shooting in Connecticut last Friday, the issue of school safety is on everyone's mind including right here in the Susquehanna Valley. And a battle that started a few years ago in one school district is being revisited.
Should police officers be in schools to protect the students if there is an attack? That is the questions many across America are asking right now.
In Lancaster there used to be officers in Penn Manor Elementary Schools, but not anymore.
John May is on the Manor Township Board of Supervisors, he says even though it's not in the budget, its in consideration. “There’s no budget for it at the present time, no. How could it happen? We’d probably have to increase taxes. Is that a consideration? That’s a consideration, sure.”
Should armed police officers be in elementary schools? At Penn Manor, they used to be.
The district had the officers assigned to them as part of the DARE program, but five years ago due to Township budget cuts the position was eliminated.
Sgt. Jim Alexander with Manor Township Police said it helps make kids feel comfortable with officials. “Not only is it a security issue, but one of the more important things is that it builds a relationship between these young kids and the police.”
DARE, stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The program helps students by putting an officer in the schools – a couple times as week - to talk to the kids. And while the officer isn't necessarily there to stop a violent attack, they are there if it were to happen.
“Having an armed person in the school obviously it certainly is an advantage is something should happen. Just that presence would and can be a deterrent," Alexander said.
The next Manor Township supervisor meeting with be in January and May says this topic must be addressed. “Everyone feels this loss, everybody. It can’t be minimized. It can’t be forgotten and we go on as life as usual as we have in the past. It’s got to be dealt with.”
May did go on to say that one solution may be private security forces in schools instead of township police. We did reach out to the school district for comment, but the superintendent was not available.
Should police officers be in schools to protect the students if there is an attack? That is the questions many across America are asking right now.
In Lancaster there used to be officers in Penn Manor Elementary Schools, but not anymore.
John May is on the Manor Township Board of Supervisors, he says even though it's not in the budget, its in consideration. “There’s no budget for it at the present time, no. How could it happen? We’d probably have to increase taxes. Is that a consideration? That’s a consideration, sure.”
Should armed police officers be in elementary schools? At Penn Manor, they used to be.
The district had the officers assigned to them as part of the DARE program, but five years ago due to Township budget cuts the position was eliminated.
Sgt. Jim Alexander with Manor Township Police said it helps make kids feel comfortable with officials. “Not only is it a security issue, but one of the more important things is that it builds a relationship between these young kids and the police.”
DARE, stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. The program helps students by putting an officer in the schools – a couple times as week - to talk to the kids. And while the officer isn't necessarily there to stop a violent attack, they are there if it were to happen.
“Having an armed person in the school obviously it certainly is an advantage is something should happen. Just that presence would and can be a deterrent," Alexander said.
The next Manor Township supervisor meeting with be in January and May says this topic must be addressed. “Everyone feels this loss, everybody. It can’t be minimized. It can’t be forgotten and we go on as life as usual as we have in the past. It’s got to be dealt with.”
May did go on to say that one solution may be private security forces in schools instead of township police. We did reach out to the school district for comment, but the superintendent was not available.