NEWPORT, Ky. — Kentucky schools are required to have their own armed school resource officers after Gov. Andy Beshear signed the School Safety and Resiliency Act into law last year, but some districts are finding that filling those mandated positions has been extremely difficult.
According to a report from the state school security marshall's office, as of last August, roughly 55% of schools didn't have an SRO. The roles are state-mandated, but not state-funded.
"We have a whole lot of unfunded mandates. The powers above say you have to have this, but they don't give us any additional money to provide that,” said Tony Watts, Superintendent of Newport Independent Schools.
Watts said the mandate comes as the education field and law enforcement are both dealing with staffing shortages.
"So that just adds an extra burden that just adds extra positions to fill in," he said. "Sometimes it's just a shortage of people to fill them."
Bellevue Police Chief Jon McClain said their schools do not have SROs staffed for the upcoming year, with one of the biggest hurdles being funding.
"Speaking for Bellevue, and probably a lot of the other smaller districts or less funded districts, it's really been a huge hurdle when you know, there's not been funding there," he said. "Because, really, your only recourse is then to raise tax money on the local taxpayers … and you might be talking about districts where, you know, your residents and stuff are already strapped for cash."
McClain said the SRO positions are absolutely vital for student safety.
"We're fortunate that our response time to the school can more than likely be less than two minutes, but when you've got an officer there that can respond in seconds, I mean, that's crucial for safeguarding the children and preventing any unnecessary death or harm to students," McClain said.
Newport’s superintendent would agree.
"Unfortunately, you know, we see all across America school shootings now," Watts said. "When you have an SRO in the buildings, we hope that that would deter a person from coming in and doing something like that."
Newport Independent Schools does have SROs in all three of its buildings. He said that's due to a partnership with the city. The city splits the cost of the SROs with the district. But Watts acknowledged for other districts, the money isn't enough.
"The funding doesn't help if they have a shortage," Watts said. "So you can't create people, you know, for those positions even if you have the money."
The office of the state school security marshal is finalizing its annual report, which will show how many Kentucky schools still do not have an SRO. The report will be released around September first.
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