K-M school board approves school resource officer contract

Kasson-Mantorville school board members Monday night approved a two-year contract with the city of Kasson to provide a school resource officer (SRO) for the district.
The action came after K-M Supt. Mark Matuska, Kasson Police Chief Josh Hanson, Kasson Mayor Chris McKern, City Administrator Tim Ibisch and Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose met to discuss the job and its duties.
The decision ends a controversy that surfaced after the board decided at their May meeting to look at alternative ways to provide school security by looking for a school resource and relationship officer (SRRO) to handle security at the school instead of a licensed police officer.
Earlier this month Matuska sent a letter to the district’s parents explaining the board’s decision to consider a change to a private security officer.
Matuksa wrote to the parents that K-M schools had been contracting with the Kasson Police Department for a School Resource Officer (SRO) for 175 days during the school year when students are in attendance. The K-M portion of the most recent contract cost the district $67,283 or 65 percent of the cost of the SRO with the remainder of the cost paid by the city.
He pointed out that Hayfield and Triton share a SRO at a significantly less cost to each district. Triton and Hayfield each pay only $13,885 with the rest of the contract paid by Dodge County.
In his letter he assured parents that “your children’s safety is the highest priority for the staff and the school board members at Kasson-Mantorville Schools. We are confident that any possible position change will not lessen the safety of your children while they are attending Kasson-Mantorville Schools.”
He said the district hoped to find a licensed officer but it was not a requirement.
The proposed change did not set well with many parents and also resulted in Rose writing his own public response to the proposed changes.
Board members commented on the controversy before voting with Amy Olson saying she was “a little disappointed” in how the situation had come about but was impressed by how leadership was able to come together and make a decision.
Board Chair Kent Harfmann said that sometimes it takes some “messy conversations” to get to a decision that is best for the kids. “We have what is best for the kids,” he said.
Board Member Brandon Madery thanked those who had come together in a meeting and hashed out the details of the contract.
He also said he wanted to apologize to Matuska as “it did get messy on the public side. This (looking at private security) was not Mark, this was board directed.”
“We as a board made this decision,” Harfmann agreed.
Other details of the contract include that SRO services for the school district will average 40 hours a week and will coincide with the 173 student contact days. Core hours will be 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
As a Kasson police officer, the SRO will be a licensed officer who reports directly to the police chief and not the superintendent.
The issue of a private security officer not being licensed had raised concerns in the community and with Rose who said that a SRO who was not a police officer would not be in constant radio contact with the county’s dispatch center and would not have authority to make an arrest and would have to call law enforcement to respond to a violent, unstable or suspicious situation just like any citizen.