Governor Tom Wolf’s administration made an announcement in September that school officials want a stronger police presence because of the increased number of school shootings, and especially after the one which took place in Parkland, Florida. Each visit , which has to happen at least once per shift, could mean a trooper simply drives around the school or goes in the school to talk to students or staff.

Big Spring High School currently has a school resource officer, Brian Gryzboski. “We are very fortunate to have a school resource officer in our District. His work is complemented by that of other law enforcement agencies that we work with. We often invite other law enforcement agencies to visit our campus as they are partners in education for all of our students and staff.” said Kevin Roberts, the safety director and assistant superintendent, of the district. “School safety is always more about being proactive with our efforts than reactive. Measures that we take every day, including having officers visit our campus, help us to be as safe as possible.”

Safety here at Big Spring is a priority amongst students and staff. “In addition to classroom support, our officer serves as a tremendous resource to discussions and decisions every day.  In the absence of our school resource officer, we would lose a valuable perspective to decisions and ideas made to enhance our school safety and security every day,” said Roberts. “Like all school districts, our school district has relied on the support from law enforcement for incidents in the past.  Any incident that could involve a law being broken (speeding, unregistered vehicle, etc.) is taken seriously and handled in collaboration with appropriate law enforcement.”