MANCHESTER – The Township is lending a helping hand to keep Manchester schools safe.
The township council recently approved a contract for a shared service agreement with the Manchester Board of Education for the use of Class III Special Law Enforcement Officers.
According to Superintendent David Trethaway, these Class III officers have actually been serving in the schools since September after the district negotiated with the township. The resolution made by the township, and one to be made by the Board of Education, is simply the formal document.
The resolution itself states that the shared service agreement will remain in effect for only one year.
“We are fortunate to have an excellent relationship with the police department and they have been instrumental in making recommendations for upgrading safety and security in the schools,” said Trethaway. “Each year we put aside an amount in the budget to address safety and security issues, whether its technology, training facility upgrades or staffing.”
Trethaway also made the clarification that the Class III officers are not used as SRO’s, or School Resource Officers. The main distinction is that Class III officers are retired from the force, while SROs are still active.
The United States Department of Justice defines school resource officers as “sworn law enforcement officers responsible for safety and crime prevention in schools.”
The NJ School Boards Association defines Class III SLEOs as a retired officer “who would receive additional, specialized training and be assigned to schools.”
In Manchester School District, there is one SRO in the high school, Officer Victoria Raub, who previously served in the Patrol Bureau.
Class III Officers, John Zupan and Henry “Rick” Pasqualini, are retired police officers and have been assigned to work at the middle school and elementary schools. John is in the elementary schools and Rick is at the Middle School, said Trethaway.
“Additionally, we have two security guards that are employees of the district,” he added.
