Rep. Hall Supports School Resource Officers, Bill to Increase Safety Measures
HARTFORD – During a public hearing of the Education Committee, State Representative Carol Hall (R-59) emphasized her unwavering support for keeping school resource officers in schools as a measure to not only increase the overall safety of students but build relationships with law enforcement.
The bill, HB-6535, An Act Concerning Issues Relating to School Security, has four pieces; the creation of a working group to study SRO’s role in schools, a study to determine whether classroom doors that can be locked from inside should be included within the school safety infrastructure criteria, a state-wide plan developed by the Department of Education for responding to large-scale school crisis events, and require local and regional boards of education annually submit the school security and safety plan for each school.
While Rep. Hall supports the increased safety aspects of the bill, she doesn’t feel the provision that would create a working group to examine the role of SRO’s in public schools is necessary.
“Why study something that has continually proved effective and essential,” Rep. Hall said. “There are years and years history that demonstrates SRO’s keep our schools safe,”
Some believe this study is simply a gateway to a larger effort to eliminate school resource officers completely, while others have made their intensions clear with the introduction of SB-447, An Act Concerning the Phase-Out of the Use of School Resource Officers.
Rep. Hall said she fully supports keeping SRO’s in schools and would not entertain any proposal that would seek to remove them.
“I know we are confident in the safety afforded to students and teachers by school resource officers and school security officers,” Rep. Hall said. “Over the years, our SRO’s have become an integral part of the fabric of our schools and have had an extremely positive impact not only with our students, but on our community as a whole.”
Enfield and East Windsor, the two towns within the 59th district utilize school resource officers in their school system.