Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne is urging schools to prioritize having armed officers from law enforcement or highly trained security providers on campus. To that end, the Arizona Department of Education has opened the latest round of School Safety Grant Program applications.
One school superintendent is coming under fire now after he claimed the grant process was “too complicated.”
At last week’s school board meeting, Peoria Unified School member Heather Rooks questioned the claim made by Superintendent Jason Reynolds.
Since @PeoriaUnified11 @drjasonreynolds seems to think schools applying for safety grants to get more SROs is “too complicated” maybe he should consider resigning since his jobs is clearly too complicated. #ProtectOurChildren #MoreSROs pic.twitter.com/uI5xSyUzqb
— WEST VALLEY PARENTS UNITING (@UnitingWest) February 10, 2023
Reynolds’ contract with the District was renewed in July 2022. His base salary is $232,792 per year.
“As a new Peoria School Board member, I was hearing from parents and staff on their concerns regarding drugs, vandalism and more on campuses. I started researching on what was going on and what solutions there could be. I discovered a School Safety Grant through the Arizona Department of Education that allows schools or Districts to apply for either a social worker, counselor or school resource officer. The past few years, Peoria Unified was listed on the Arizona Department of Education School Safety Grant page with schools who applied for the grant. The schools all had social workers listed through the grant. I know there are SRO officers at each High School in the Peoria Unified School District but none at the elementary level. Which was concerning to me. I made phone calls to individuals who understood how SROs worked and how the grant process worked. I wanted to help bring the conversation of applying for SROs to the Peoria Unified School District to advocate for safety and support to the students and staff on campuses. I was thankful to the Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Horne for taking a stance on SRO officers in every school to provide protection for the children. If some School Board meetings can have police officers protecting adults, why wouldn’t anyone want the same protection for the children?”
Why is it ok for school board meetings to have police officers protecting adults, but people don't think we have the same protection for children in schools? https://t.co/e2su6f7zyb
— Heather Rooks The Notorious Peoria Mom (@ThePeoriaMom) February 12, 2023
Horne agrees, “Every school should have a law enforcement officer to protect students and staff, and this should be accomplished on an urgent basis. Delay in implementing this goal could leave schools more vulnerable to a tragic catastrophe. Schools that currently have no armed presence yet submit grants applications that do not request an officer will not receive a recommendation from this Department to the State Board of Education.”
In recent weeks, throughout the Valley, there have been reported incidents of heightened school threats, real and fake weapons found on campus, and disturbing social media postings regarding school violence. Department staff have also received phone calls from teachers in a Phoenix-area high school district complaining of fights including one involving multiple students in which a female teacher was knocked down. This is a growing trend not just in Arizona but throughout the country.
Horne added, “I am a longtime supporter of each school having a counselor to help ensure the well-being of students. As a school board member in 1978, I was the only one to vote against a proposal to eliminate counselors from that district’s schools. Schools still ought to have counselors but providing a safe school atmosphere that requires an armed presence is the first priority.”
As part of the Department’s service-oriented mission, Michael Kurtenbach, the former Assistant Chief of the Phoenix Police Department, has been named the Director of School Safety. He will be assisted by former Phoenix Police Commander Allen Smith. The two will work throughout the state providing schools with resources and expertise to implement effective personnel and safety procedures. They will also assist school administrators in building trust with students to foster specific types of communication that help support a safer school environment.