Canton school board will not form SRO committee

Thomas Graser, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.
·2 min read

May 17—CANTON — The Canton Central School Board of Education will not establish an ad hoc committee to study the issue of hiring a school resource officer.

At the Tuesday night board meeting, board member Denise Sero reported that the safety committee was uncomfortable establishing the committee.

"The safety committee was not prepared to make a recommendation for the need to form an ad hoc committee to explore the SRO position at this time," Ms. Sero said. "The safety committee is not comfortable producing a charge for such committee should it be formed."

The safety committee isn't the right group to discuss just that specific item, Ms. Sero said.

The Rev. Michael P. Catanzaro, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, spoke to the board during the public comment segment before the committee reports.

He attended the board's April meeting and urged the board to have a public conversation about an SRO.

The Rev. Catanzaro on Tuesday asked the board to participate in a community meeting.

"What I would like to offer is a meeting of the community on Tuesday, June 13 at 7 p.m. It could be either here at the school; that would be great," he said.

The meeting could also be held at the church, he said.

"No agenda, just come and talk," he said. "Just kind of get a sense of things. If 20 people show up, that's one answer. If 200 people show up, that's a different answer."

At the end of the meeting, board member Christopher Marquart asked where the conversation stood.

"At the end of the day, there are certainly very strong differences of opinion in the community and amongst the board," Mr. Marquart said. "Is an SRO a good idea or not? If so, what does that look like?"

He said there are concerns about safety in general.

Board member Daniel Thomas said safety had been an ongoing conversation, and the current capital project was addressing many of the concerns about the security of the building.

"I think the upgraded entrances that are part of this capital project are going to make a significant difference," Mr. Thomas said.

The board agreed to continue to talk about the safety of the school community in general but did not comment on the Rev. Catanzaro's proposed forum or agree to form a district-wide committee to discuss hiring an SRO.