Coshocton schools lean on resource officers
COSHOCTON − River View and Ridgewood are joining Coshocton City Schools this school year in having school resource officers (SRO) to boost district security for staff and students.
Deputy Mark Sharrock of the Coshocton County Sheriff's Office has been the SRO for Coshocton City Schools since 2017, replacing Jeff Corder who started in 2013. Ridgewood Local Schools previously worked with former West Lafayette Police Chiefs Terry Mardis and Stephen Klopfenstein and this year is contracting with the police department for the services of Officer Jose Hernandez. River View is contracting with the sheriff's office for Deputy Justin Landerman.
The districts said the purpose of a school resource officer is to ensure a safe environment, prevent and reduce potential harm related to school violence and foster a positive school climate. Additionally, Superintendent Chuck Rinkes of River View said Landerman would be a member of the district's threat assessment team and safety plan and assist with truancy issues.
Rinkes admitted the mass shooting on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, made school safety a hot button topic again and one they felt needed addressed.
"Anytime you can add another layer of security to your school building for your staff and, especially for your students, I think you're going in the right direction," Rinkes said. "It's the philosophy of adding more good people to your organization and getting more good people around your kids."
Superintendent Mike Masloski of Ridgewood said the district continues to promote school safety by building a positive and safe environment and communicating this with the staff and community inside and outside all buildings. He said staff members are routinely trained in safety measures and they are monitoring safety protocols. Adding an SRO is just another component to that.
"We have worked smarter and efficiently in developing multiple layers of security and safety in our buildings," Masloski said.
Superintendent David Hire of Coshocton City Schools said Sharrock has been a great asset for several years. He's very visible in the district and has made personal connections with many students and families. He's a presence during drop-off and pick-up of students, lunch periods and at school functions like board meetings and sports contests.
"In this day and age, it gives everyone a sense of comfort to know we have a school resource officer on site," Hire said. "The other side of it, we want to build good relationship with our community agencies, and certainly law enforcement is one of those. We want our students, staff and parents to become familiar with who some of these law enforcement officers are. We want to establish that and build that sense of trust."
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: Coshocton schools lean on resource officers
