WHITEWATER — The city of Whitewater and the Whitewater Unified School District approved a school resource officer agreement Monday, finalizing months of tenuous negotiations.
The agreement starts Aug. 1 and is scheduled to expire July 31, 2027. It is to be reviewed annually by the superintendent and the police chief.
The agreement, in part, addresses concerns the district has brought up and what has seemingly jeopardized the two parties coming to another agreement. The district has brought up concerns regarding staff having to contact dispatch rather than the officer directly, the officer not contacting parents of students before questioning and the number of absences by the officer.
According to the agreement, the school resource officer is assigned to the district at the discretion of the chief but in consultation with the superintendent. However, if at anytime during the agreement the superintendent “has concerns with the officer assigned” the superintendent may inform the chief. Then, the chief is to give those concerns “reasonable considerations” when assigning a school resource officer.
In a section entitled “Duty Hours,” hours for the officer are determined by the labor agreement between the police department and the Whitewater Professional Police Association.
Also under Duty Hours, it states that if the school resource officer is to be absent from an assigned shift at the district for any reason, that individual is to notify their supervisor at the police department and the district superintendent. The police chief then is to ensure any shifts that the officer would be absent from are covered by an on-call or on-duty officer for the duration of the absence.
According to the agreement, building administrators will “generally communicate directly” with the school resource officer while that officer is in the building administrator’s school. For immediate needs, requests are to be made through dispatch. The agreement cites efficiency, stating that it ensures “proper documentation and logging of calls, and ensures all police department staff are aware of SRO activities from additional officers is needed quickly.”
However, Police Chief Dan Meyer encouraged efficiency in other ways, saying text messaging can work too.
“If it’s, ‘Hey, can you stop by today?’ That can be done in a text message,” Meyer said.
The agreement also outlines procedures for the officer, including how if the officer or police department receives information regarding a possible law or ordinance violation on district premises or other incident on or off district premises that endangers property, health or safety, the officer is to notify administration as soon as possible. The notification is to happen prior to an investigation, unless the matter poses an “imminent danger.”
The agreement may be terminated by either party with 30 days written notice if either party has “failed to substantially perform” to the standards of the agreement. It can also be terminated without cause with 90 days’ written notice.
Neither party is looking toward any severing of the agreement.
Meyer looked at the night as a building block to rebuilding a relationship with the school district.
“It was such a positive process. I think that is just the first step. My focus now is looking forward,” Meyer said, adding that school safety has been a point of emphasis with the district.
Meyer added, “I have every confidence in the relationship building. We’re just on square one.”
