Hudson Valley school superintendent pushes for federal funding to bring in more school resource officers

The superintendent of a Hudson Valley school district is pushing for federal funding to help put a school resource officer in all the district's schools. It comes one day after a deadly school shooting in Wisconsin.

Melanie Palmer

Dec 18, 2024, 3:18 AM

Updated 4 days ago

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The superintendent of a Hudson Valley school district is pushing for federal funding to help put a school resource officer in all the district's schools. It comes one day after a deadly school shooting in Wisconsin.
Dr. Dwight Bonk has a lot to get done before the holiday break. He's the superintendent of Wappingers Central School District.
On top of that long list is getting the federal government's help in cutting down on what he calls, a deeply disturbing trend.
"This is not a Wappingers issue, this is not a Dutchess County issue, this is not a New York state issue, this is a national issue," says Dr. Bonk.
He wants federal dollars to go toward putting a school resource officer in all 15 schools in the district.
"That's an individual who works for an accredited law enforcement agency who is trained and obviously functions as a police officer within a school building," Dr. Bonk explains.
Bonk says this has been a passion of his for a while but Monday's deadly school shooting in Wisconsin, pushed him to send a letter to federal leaders urging them to approve the funds.
He says what it comes down to is providing this tool to school districts, regardless of their financial state.
"Everybody deserves a safe school environment," says Bonk.
Parents who have kids in the district like Frank Pagano say they support the use of these kinds of federal funds.
"Once my kids leave my house, I leave it up to the school system to take care of them until I see them at the end of the day," says Frank Pagano, who has two kids in the Wappingers Central School District.
Some Dutchess County residents want to make sure the officers brought in are well-trained.
"You got to make sure that person is who he says he is, what he signed up for and make sure he's going to secure everybody," says Jordan Jackson who graduated from the Wappingers Central School District.
Others are skeptical the federal government will approve the funds.
Bonk is optimistic and even if that money doesn't come through, he has another idea.
"I am prepared to recommend to our board of education that whatever this costs, we take this money out of our budget," says Bonk. He wants to see school resource officers in every school building by the start of the next school year.
You can read the full letter from Dr. Bonk here.