CHESAPEAKE, Va. — By Tuesday afternoon, the changes in Chesapeake Public Schools’ online policy manual had gone into effect regarding the arming of certain security officers in the school division.
Monday night, the school board voted to change its policy regarding school security officers (SSO) to allow some to be able to carry firearms as part of their job. Unlike school resource officers (SRO), SSOs are employed by the school division and not the Chesapeake Police Department.
According to the newly updated policy, SSOs must still fulfill a lengthy list of requirements before they’re allowed to carry a firearm.
Some of the following conditions, according to the new policy, to allow SSOs are:
- within 10 years immediately prior to being hired by the School Board, the SSO was an active law-enforcement officer or was employed by a law enforcement agency of the United States or any state or local subdivision thereof and the SSO’s duties were substantially similar to those of a law-enforcement officer
- the SSO retired or resigned from the SSO’s position as a law enforcement officer in good standing;
- the SSO has provided proof of completion of a training course that includes training in active shooter emergency response, emergency evacuation procedure, and threat assessment to the Department of Criminal Justice Services, provided that if the SSO received such training from the City of Chesapeake Police Department, the SSO received the training in the City of Chesapeake
The school board will also solicit input from the chief of policy regarding the SSO’s qualifications.
Superintendent Jared Cotton believes these additional efforts would primarily focus on staffing among elementary schools in the city.
“If we only have measures in place to stop that moment but not the four to five things leading up to that, that’s why I think it’s reactionary,” parent and substitute teacher Jeremy Rodden told 13News Now Tuesday.
“To me, throwing guns at it is not the safest or smartest way to handle this,” he added.
Meredith Plata, a Chesapeake mom with a son soon entering the CPS system, is in favor of the measure because of the added peace of mind it provides her.
“I think, for our family, we’re okay with that. I would rather a lot of children be safe because feelings and opinions may come and go, but I think there is an actual fact of our kids needing to be safe. So, I’m okay with that,” she said.
Chesapeake school officials shared that there are about 90 people within the division designated as school security officers.
A statement provided by the Chesapeake Education Association reads:
The Chesapeake Education Association is aware of the passed policy revision by the Chesapeake School Board to allow selected School Security Officers to carry firearms in our school buildings. As we meet with CPS leadership to answer questions regarding this policy, we hope CPS leadership will also share their rationale with us for taking this drastic step. Although there was no discussion at the previous School Board meeting, CEA is committed to ensuring all stakeholders have a voice in decisions that affect Chesapeake Public Schools' students and staff.
Some of their duties included for an SSO involve:
- Conducts surveillance of school buildings, grounds, and activities.
- Patrols hallways, stairwells, restrooms, and parking area throughout the school day.
- Monitors the loading and unloading of buses.
- Maintains security during lunch periods.
- Provides security during sports events and other activities.
- Assists during recess to ensure student safety.
- Checks all windows, doors, and entrances of building to make certain they are secured.
- Prevents admittance of unauthorized persons to the premises.
- Monitors all vehicles entering school grounds.
- Monitors and works the security cameras to ensure they are properly recording at all times.
- Investigates unusual conditions or disturbances.
- Witnesses student and/or locker searches.
- Assists with fire drills and emergency evacuations.
- Escorts disruptive students to locations specified by school administration.
- Helps to prevent or control physical confrontations, personal injury, and damage to school property.
- Conducts sex offender searches on any adult requesting to chaperone school events.
- Remains alert to danger and to provide needed assistance at all times.
- Will be ready at any time to summon and coordinate with sworn police officers in an emergency.
- Performs other related duties as required/assigned.