Voters in one New Hampshire community narrowly approved an article that would eliminate the school resource officer. On Tuesday’s school ballot in Lebanon, article 7, which was a petitioned warrant article said in part, “To see if the School District will vote to discontinue the use of the School Resource Officer. Said funds associated with the School Resource Officer are to be transferred to the SAU’s general fund. For transition purposes only, this change shall take effect on July 1, 2021. This article is non-binding and advisory.” The article passed by five votes, 1011 to 1006.”I think it’s clear that there was a majority of people in favor, even if by a small margin even but you know vote made it clear that the majority of Lebanon wants to remove school resource officers,” said Asma Elhuni, N.H. Movement Politics Director for Rights & Democracy. She was one of the individuals who started the petition. She is in favor of having the school resource officer removed. “There’s currently a national movement to reexamine the ways our communities are failing our young ones, failing people of color and it’s vital that our communities are divesting from policing and investing in community solutions,” Elhuni said.The Lebanon Police Department instituted a school resource officer in February 2005. Lebanon police officer Gregory Parthum has been the school resource officer for about 10 years, according to police chief Richard Mello.”He spends time at the high school, the middle school and the elementary schools on occasion. His primary role is to build and establish relationships throughout the school with the students, with the staff,” Mello said.The police chief said how the memoriam of understanding is written allows any party to end the school resource officer program. He would like the position to be kept. “I think the school resource position is an important part of our partnership. I think it is, it does serve a very worthwhile purpose within the community, within the schools,” he said.In an email, outgoing school board chair Wendy Hall said in part, “The article was a petition article brought forward by members of the Lebanon community and amended to be advisory in nature during our deliberative session. The Lebanon School Board will take the results of yesterday’s vote under consideration. The next step is yet to be determined.”
Voters in one New Hampshire community narrowly approved an article that would eliminate the school resource officer.
On Tuesday’s school ballot in Lebanon, article 7, which was a petitioned warrant article said in part, “To see if the School District will vote to discontinue the use of the School Resource Officer. Said funds associated with the School Resource Officer are to be transferred to the SAU’s general fund. For transition purposes only, this change shall take effect on July 1, 2021. This article is non-binding and advisory.” The article passed by five votes, 1011 to 1006.
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“I think it’s clear that there was a majority of people in favor, even if by a small margin even but you know vote made it clear that the majority of Lebanon wants to remove school resource officers,” said Asma Elhuni, N.H. Movement Politics Director for Rights & Democracy. She was one of the individuals who started the petition. She is in favor of having the school resource officer removed.
“There’s currently a national movement to reexamine the ways our communities are failing our young ones, failing people of color and it’s vital that our communities are divesting from policing and investing in community solutions,” Elhuni said.
The Lebanon Police Department instituted a school resource officer in February 2005. Lebanon police officer Gregory Parthum has been the school resource officer for about 10 years, according to police chief Richard Mello.
“He spends time at the high school, the middle school and the elementary schools on occasion. His primary role is to build and establish relationships throughout the school with the students, with the staff,” Mello said.
The police chief said how the memoriam of understanding is written allows any party to end the school resource officer program. He would like the position to be kept.
“I think the school resource position is an important part of our partnership. I think it is, it does serve a very worthwhile purpose within the community, within the schools,” he said.
In an email, outgoing school board chair Wendy Hall said in part, “The article was a petition article brought forward by members of the Lebanon community and amended to be advisory in nature during our deliberative session. The Lebanon School Board will take the results of yesterday’s vote under consideration. The next step is yet to be determined.”
