By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays USD 489 school board accepted a grant Monday night, which will help pay for the addition of a school resource officer in the district.
The district has not had a school resource officer since December 2015 due to staffing concerns at the police department.
"We're a small agency, and we needed manpower and assistance in the patrol division," said Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler.
Departmental changes will allow that position to again be filled.
The state Safe and Secure Schools grant will provide $47,611 toward the cost for the first year for the officer.
The school district and the city of Hays will split the rest of the cost, with the school district paying 70 percent and the city paying 30 percent.
Previously the city paid the entire cost.
The grant only pays for a portion of the cost for the first year of the officer. After this school year, the city and school district will have to assume the full cost of the officer.
The officer will be based at Hays High School but will be available to respond to issues at other schools in the district, Ron Wilson, Hays superintendent, said.
When school is not in session during the summer, and during breaks, the officer will be assigned to other police duties within the city, Wilson said.
"I think this is a great thing," Wilson said. "It is something we have been making hard strides for, and we're always looking at safety and security for our schools."
Scheibler said with the construction of the new high school and expanded campus that will be home to Hays Middle School as well, having an officer on-site had become a priority.
"Working with the school district, we were able to move that process along much faster than expected," he said.
Board member Tammy Welbrock noted the Hays school district does not have any school resource officers, whereas other school districts of similar size have as many as five.
Wilson said a school resource officer would not solve all problems.
"I want people to understand that this doesn't always prevent a tragedy by having someone with a weapon inside the school," Wilson said.
However, Wilson said he thought the officer would be able to connect with students and have a positive influence on them.
School board member Curt Vajnar applauded the addition of the school resource officer as both a board member and a parent.
"I'm happy to know someone's there just in case," he said, "and someone's there now. We're not waiting on someone in case something happens.
"As a parent, I feel good that safety is a priority for my kid at these schools."
Board member Craig Pallister said as a long-time principal, he often dealt with issues with non-custodial family members at the middle school. Having a school resource at school helped staff deal with those issues.