Westfall Township - The Delaware Valley School Board approved the job description, with modification, of a school police officer. The district has been working for several months on the idea of hiring either school resource officers or school police. The job description will be available on the district’s website.

The school police officer will carry a gun which brought several comments from citizens attending the meeting.

Ed Fuller of Milford asked that the district consider other means of incapacitating students. He felt that it would be easy for a student to take the firearm away from the officer in the crowded halls of the high school.

JoAnn Schields of Matamoras suggested that the school police carry a taser instead of a gun. ” A lot of parents like the idea of a taser instead of a nine millimeter gun”, Shields said.  

Alyssa Tomaskovic, a student representative on the Board, said she would feel more comfortable if the school police officer had a gun to be able to deal with a student who might bring a gun to school with intent to use it.

Superintendent Dr Candis Finan replied that when qualifications and job description where discussed with police officers, they were emphatic about the ability to have a gun.

It was brought up by Board member, Belle Smith, that she is against having guns in school, but voted to have school police officers hired. Dr. Candis Finan added,” No one fears guns in school more than I, however, if the day comes that we need it, we will be prepared.”