Officer back in school

— School and city officials agreed to implement the School Resource Officer program in Pea Ridge Schools and have signed a contract for the program to begin this school year.

“The community working together with such a positive attitude is great,” school superintendent Rick Neal said of the Saturday morning meeting with School Board members, Mayor Jackie Crabtree, Police Chief Tim Ledbetter and Police Corporal Mitch Brown.

City and school officials met several times over the past couple of weeks working on the wording of a Memorandum of Understanding to reinstall the SRO in the schools. The city and school will share the cost of the salary 30/70 percent respectively. Cpl.

Mitch Brown, who served as the school resource officer in 2007-2008, will be placed in the school and will answer to high school principal John Laffoon for SRO duties.

The contract is set to begin Aug. 13.

“Our number one goal is the safety of the children,” Ledbetter said.

“I feel like we’re together on this,” Neal said.

News, Pages 1 on 08/01/2012