DALTON, Mass. — Central Berkshire Regional School Committee has voted to send a letter of support for a school resource officer grant.

 

This vote does not approve adding an officer at Wahconah Regional High School; rather, due to the time restriction for the application, it only approves sending a letter to go along with the town's grant application to the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Oriented Police Services program.

 

Police Chief Deanna Strout agreed that there are still a lot of aspects regarding this change that would need to be discussed and clarified that the committee's decision to send a letter could improve the chances of getting the grant. 

 

She has already received a letter of support from the Dalton Select Board and St. Agnes' School. 

 

The district has 90 days to come up with a memorandum of understanding after being selected for the grant. 

 

Some committee members asked where the money would go if they rejected the idea.

 

If that were to happen, the town could turn down the grant or put a school resource officer in St. Agnes' School, since it did express an interest in having one. 

 

"We don't want to give anyone here the impression that we're trying to force our way into the schools at all. If this isn't something that we all think is a great idea, I respect that," Strout said. 

 

Even if the district doesn't come up with an MOU, Select Board Chair Joe Diver said he is prepared to bring it back to the board to see how the town can leverage the grant with other private schools or juvenile programs in Dalton.

 

"The board completely supports the chief strategy on this, especially when you look at some of the statistics from [Sept. 1] last year to current. That's what got our attention is that there are some juvenile issues in the town of Dalton that could filter into the schools or vice versa," Diver said.