Bellevue, Clyde-Green Springs hire school resource officers

SANDUSKY — Though rivals in athletics, two school districts agree additional security is necessary.Come this fall, Bellevue and Clyde-Green Springs schools will employ school resource officers from their city police departments in district buildings. Clyde officer Erik Kessler and Bellevue officer Eric Burt will work full-time for their respective school districts. This is the first time Bellevue has employed an officer, while Clyde-Green Springs likely had a school resource officer years ago funded by grant money.Leaders in both districts said the idea has been in consideration for many years, but recent school shootings have made officials consider it more seriously."We have had a lot of good conversations regarding school safety," Clyde-Green Springs superintendent Dennis Haft said. "This topic was brought up in the middle of last school year and we started making plans to put a school resource officer in place by the start of this next school year. The city of Clyde has been very helpful during this process as well.""We have been considering the addition of a school resource officer for several years, but the recent school shootings certainly made us look at the benefits even closer," Bellevue Schools superintendent Kim Schubert said.Paolo DeMaria, Ohio state Superintendent of Public Instruction, observes the 5-Star Step Up to Quality preschool program with Bellevue Schools superintendent Kim Schubert, left, at Bellevue Elementary on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The school resource officers will have a presence in district buildings, with Clyde's officer primarily based at Clyde High School. Bellevue Schools will pay the officer's salaries and benefits for 184 days during the school year with the rest of the contract is spent working for Bellevue police, Schubert said.Clyde-Green Springs will be billed by the city of Clyde on a quarterly basis for the officer's hours worked in the district, Haft said."We are very excited to partner with the city of Clyde to make this a reality," Haft said. "Obviously student and staff safety needs to be a priority. No learning can take place if we do not ensure a safe environment."Added Schubert: "The school resource officer is a proactive school safety measure. The officer will not only add another layer of school security but will also help us educate our students in the areas of crime prevention, bully prevention, and drug/alcohol prevention. The officer will interact with our students, staff, parents and community members to form positive relationships among law enforcement and our community as well."Both school districts would like to introduce the school resource officers to students and community members sometime soon, leaders said.Reach reporter Caitlin Nearhood at nearhood@sanduskyregister.com, follow her on Twitter @CaitlinNearhood and on Facebook.com/CaitliNearhoodClyde-Green Springs superintendent Dennis Haft.