Dawn Rye | Writer
At last week’s Parker School Board meeting, the board made a motion to sign the school resource officer agreement of memorandum.
Turner County deputy Colter Hendrix said there were a couple of changes in the memorandum of understanding. He attended a Sioux Falls program, where he gained his advanced SRO (School Resource Officer) certificate. The contract’s price didn’t change for the school at $7,800 per school for a yearly contract. Hendrix stated that the SRO program would cover four school districts in Turner County.
He commented that in the 2020-21 school year, he believed it went well and discussed issues in Kay Plucker’s classroom. Hendrix said he thought working with Principal Jenelle Johnson to handle the school issues worked well. He also enjoyed working with Superintendent Donavan DeBoer to help with the elementary students and their needs.
He said having the SRO program has been an excellent resource for the school to help with the negative issues and positively impact the elementary students. Students realize that deputies are not just there for consequences but also there for support. DeBoer stated that the most significant thing the SRO program has provided the school is help with truancy. With the new truancy laws, the SRO program gives them a resource to help the students.
