Some of Jefferson County's ( KY ) most challenged public schools will have an armed, uniformed police officer assigned to them this month.
The district has chosen the 18 schools — most in southern and western Jefferson County —
based on their student poverty rates, test scores, disciplinary suspensions, habitual truancy and dropout rates, officials said.*
Southern Leadership Academy (a middle school), Frost Middle, Iroquois High, Shawnee High and Western High are among those that will get a full-time resource officer under a three-year, $2 million federal grant announced recently to help improve school safety and education.
"We wanted schools where students could benefit most," said Charlie Baker, director of school safety for Jefferson County Public Schools. Several dozen schools had asked to be selected, he said. No school got an officer if it didn't want one, he said.
Principals and some parents cheered the addition of the officers, who will divide their time among tasks that include deterring crime, giving civics and law lectures, acting as student counselors and helping with ballgames and traffic control.
"Most of my kids are pretty needy. They come from rough neighborhoods," said Dwight Hoskins, principal of Frost Middle School. An officer "will help provide guidance and wisdom," along with helping to deter crime, he said.
Some parents weren't pleased their schools were picked.
"I don't like the whole idea," said Leveta Whitlock, the parent of an Iroquois High ninth-grader who thinks the police presence will worsen how the community views schools and how children view themselves. "It says, `We don't think much of your children.'"
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Now call me crazy, But if you divide the 2 mill. by 18, each school gets about 100 grand. I think the 'impovereshed' students could learn better if maybe the money was spent on books and supplies for the students? Since these schools are in pretty " needy " areas, why not offer some kind of breakfast program for some of the kids? The beauracrats and politicians are forgetting the purpose of schools. EDUCATION! They spend all of this money TRYING to keep some kid from puffing on a doobie. When the money could be put into real school supplies, TRUTHFUL sex and drug education. Our kids are not as bad, or dumb as our 'leaders' would like to think. If they were provided with the true facts, they would be able to make up their own minds on these subjects. At that age, a person feels pretty indestructable. If you tell them something is bad or wrong, a lot of kids think of it as a challenge. I think parents have a lot to do with a lot of the probs of todays kids. ( I'm not saying all parents are the cause for troubled kids. ).............. Wow! sorry for going on a rant like this. For the full article in the local Lou KY paper click link. http://courier-journal.com/localnews...0107-8731.html