HYANNIS – Fifth Barnstable State Representative Steven Xiarhos (R – Barnstable) is filing legislation that would create an option for districts to have a School Resource Officer on-site whenever school is in session.
The move follows the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
“I believe that having a School Resource Officer present on every public school campus would go a long way toward keeping Massachusetts students, teachers, and administrators safe,” Xiarhos said.
The bill would create a local option for municipalities to require an officer placed in all school buildings during school-day hours.
Xiarhos noted the option would not detract from education budgets by creating an unfunded mandate. He hopes there will be funding to support the bill in the future.
The legislation would also call for towns and cities to set up a hotline for submitting credible threats to school safety. It would also call for provisions for school districts to have active threat trainings and to have regular audits of building security needs.
Xiarhos was the Yarmouth Deputy Police Chief before serving as an elected official. During his time on the force, he served as a School Resource Officer at Dennis-Yarmouth Regional High School for seven years.
“I hope this bill will help to start an immediate conversation about these needs so that we can take action and make our schools as safe as possible, soon,” Xiarhos said.
By Brian Engles, CapeCod.com NewsCenter