Fruitland Park commissioners voted Thursday night to partially fund and provide a school resource officer at Fruitland Park Elementary for the coming school year.
The Lake County School Board will pay $58,708 toward the cost of the officer, as well as any overtime incurred. The city will pay the remaining $14,375 needed to fully fund the position.
The resource officer will be expected to interact with the elementary school’s students during their regular class schedule and at extra-curricular activities to ensure security for students, school personnel, the school community and property.
The resource officer will serve at the school from Aug. 12 through May 2020 and will work 80 hours every two weeks, Monday through Friday, and additional hours as needed.
The agreement is between the city and the school board, but that could change if the Lake County Commission decides to fund the positions.
This marks the second year the commission has agreed to provide a school resource officer. Last year, after a heated discussion, commissioners agreed to accept $40,000 from the school board and fund the remaining portion of the officer’s salary.
The decision to fund the officer last year came about to help satisfy requirements of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which was signed into law following the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting in Parkland that left 17 people dead. The act gave school districts three options for providing security officers: using certified school resource officers, forming their own police force or using guardians who had received 132 hours of training from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and undergone several background screenings.