Fruitland Park commissioners voted Thursday night to have its police department continue providing a school resource officer at Fruitland Park Elementary for the coming school year.
The Lake County School Board will pay $55,314 for the officer’s salary, as well as any overtime incurred. The city will bill the school board in four installments beginning Sept. 1. The other payments will be due in November, February and May and must be paid within 15 days of receipt of the invoices.
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. 10 through May 2021 and will work 80 hours every two weeks, Monday through Friday, and additional hours as needed.
The Leesburg City Commission voted last month to up the ante with two additional school resource officers at Leesburg High School, which currently is staffed by Lake County sheriff’s deputies. That brings the number of Leesburg officers dedicated to schools to four, as the city already was footing the bill for officers at Leesburg Elementary School and Beverly Shores Elementary School.