The new school year that starts Monday, Aug. 8, will have School Resource Officers in each of the 11 schools within the Bartlett City Schools system.
In June, the Bartlett Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved funding for six additional School Resource Officers (SROs) and a lieutenant to oversee all 11 SROs and their operations.
That means for the first time, each elementary school, middle school, Bartlett High and the Ninth Grade Academy will have a Bartlett Police Department officer on site.
The additional officers’ salaries, personal equipment and benefits were funded from general fund reserves for the 2022-2023 school year at a cost of $750,000. Another $300,000 was transferred from the city’s general fund balance to its capital improvement program (CIP) fund to pay for new vehicles, equipment and accessories for those vehicles.
The move to add the officers was unanimously approved and supported by board members and has been widely applauded in the community on social media sites.
Bartlett City Schools Board Chairman Bryan Woodruff spoke to the mayor and aldermen at a meeting after the officers were approved and thanked each of them for making the safety of students and school employees a top priority.
The school system had not asked for an officer at each school — the initiative was taken on by the mayor and board.
