CHESAPEAKE, Va - The Chesapeake School Board approved to have armed school security officers in elementary schools.
NEW: Chesapeake School Board to vote on armed security officers in elementary in tonight's school board meeting
— Leondra Head (@Leondrahead) May 8, 2023
The individuals would have to be former law enforcement officers within the last 10 years. Currently, there are no armed security officers in Chesapeake public elementary schools.
Chesapeake Schools superintendent Dr. Jared Cotton said he got requests from parents to add more school security. He says the district plans to hire an additional 25 school security officers.
Elementary schools would get additional security based on the school's student population.
"The long-term plan is for us to eventually have additional armed security in all of our elementary schools in some capacity," Cotton said. "With the shortage that the Chesapeake police department has, it’s not very viable that we’re going to be able to add school resource officers to our elementary schools at this time."
Cotton says currently each elementary school has at least one school security officer (SSO), but they are not armed. All middle and high schools have school resource officers (SRO). SROs are police department staff and law enforcement officers that serve middle and high schools.
SSOs are hired by the school division and are currently not armed. They receive extensive training.
"Did the Richneck Elementary School shooting prompt any of this?" New's 3's Leondra Head asked Cotton.
"Of course, any tragedy that occurs across the country and in our neighborhood or region prompts those discussions. This happened obviously with the Richneck shooting that occurred," Cotton said. "There have been some recent events in our community and the Hampton roads area which have prompted us to look at additional safety features."
Cotton said a policy change must be voted on to have armed security officers in elementary schools.
"The current policy stated that the only person who could carry a firearm is a police officer from the Chesapeake police department," he said. "So this policy revision would open the door for us to hire employees with the ability to be armed."
Cotton says the district is also considering adding metal detectors.
"We are going to look at the use of metal detectors and weapon detection systems. We’re doing a pilot at each level: elementary, middle and high. It hasn’t been implemented yet. They’ve been ordered," he said.
Cotton said the program will be implemented in the near future, likely in the next couple of weeks.
Parents and students agree with the extra layer of security.
"Because of what’s going on, we need armed security guards to protect our kids. They are there to get an education and not to be shot at," Melvin Mccleese, a Chesapeake grandparent siad.
"I feel more comfortable and safer if there was a metal detector at the school," Crystal Meachem, a Chesapeake parent said.
Jalen Green, a high school student also supported the plan.
"I would definitely feel more safe knowing that when I’m going through school that people are getting checked out so there wouldn’t be any surprise school shootings," Green said.
