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Schools

Floyd Elementary may get school resource officer

By TOM MARSHALL
Published November 30, 2006

BROOKSVILLE - If the School Board decides to give J.D. Floyd Elementary School its own police officer, the Hernando County Sheriff's Office will be happy to oblige.

That was the word this week from district officials, who said both money and a qualified candidate are available to fill the position of school resource officer at the K-7 school.

The topic will be discussed Tuesday at a 7 p.m. workshop session at 919 North Broad St.

Board members said last month they might be willing to consider adding the officer, after parents said they were concerned about neighborhood security, particularly the number of registered sexual predators living nearby.

But several board members said they were concerned by reports in the St. Petersburg Times that deputies may have not always followed parent notification laws or given adequate Miranda warnings during recent school arrests, and said they would only support adding an officer with proper credentials for school-based police work.

In a Nov. 28 memo, Director of Student Services James Knight said the Sheriff's Office "would be able to find a qualified SRO" to begin working at the school this winter. Finance director Deborah Bruggink added that the district had the $23,243 needed for a half-year's salary.

Knight had initially argued against the move, saying only full middle and high schools are eligible for officers under district policy. J.D Floyd is scheduled to add an eighth grade next fall, and would qualify for one then, he said.

The board nevertheless appeared ready to approve an SRO for the spring if its concerns could be resolved.

But district officials said they are also seeking a "clarification" of the board's intent to add an eighth-grade program at Floyd, which currently houses its fifth- through seventh-grade Environmental Science Program in portable classrooms behind the school building.

Since 2004, when the science program began, enrollment at Floyd has ballooned to around 1,500 students. The new "Elementary J" school on Northcliffe Boulevard is expected to relieve some overcrowding at Floyd and other schools in Spring Hill when it opens in August 2008, said Sonya Jackson, executive director of school services.

Board member Jim Malcolm said there is a "widespread feeling" among parents and some teachers that J.D. Floyd is becoming a full-blown K-8 school, as opposed to an elementary school with a choice program for some middle schoolers.

That has fueled an expectation that the school should offer a full range of middle school sports and other programs, despite the school's relatively small site, he said.

Malcolm said the board might stick with its decision to add another grade, but added that it needs to have a serious conversation about the school's future.

Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or 352 848-1431.

[Last modified November 30, 2006, 06:38:31]