UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Thanks to the Upper Lake High School District Board's approval of a proposed agreement with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the district is looking forward to soon introducing a new school resource deputy.
The board unanimously approved the proposed memorandum of understanding with the sheriff's office at its Wednesday night meeting.
The agreement calls for the district to reimburse the sheriff's office for 50 percent of the cost of one deputy sheriff without overtime, which totals $51,500, with the sheriff's office being responsible for the remaining payroll costs in excess of that amount.
The school resource deputy will be responsible for conducting a variety of safety-related functions, according to the agreement, from identifying the best routes and staging areas for responding law enforcement and emergency responders in case of critical incidents, to continually reviewing emergency action plans.
The deputy also will investigate criminal activity, coordinate with other law enforcement agencies, provide crime prevention materials and information to students and staff, provide trainings and participate in presentations, maintain continuous communication with staff and administrators, assist in school attendance review board meetings and coordinate with the sheriff's juvenile crimes investigator, among a lengthy list of other duties.
Before the vote was taken, Board member Keith Austin asked students in the audience if they felt it was a good idea, with one teen responding that she thought it was a “great idea.”
“School safety is very important,” said Board member Valerie Duncan. “We are excited about it also.”
Upper Lake High Superintendent/Principal Patrick Iaccino said he expects the new deputy to be in place soon.
“Hopefully by January he will be on campus,” said Iaccino.
“Or she,” interjected Duncan.
In addition to increased safety on campus, district officials are hoping for other benefits from a deputy's presence.
Austin said at Wednesday night's meeting that he believes the school resource deputy will go a long way toward improving the school's culture.
In a separate interview, Iaccino told Lake County News that he hopes to put the school resource deputy to work addressing truancy issues in the district.
Attendance runs about 92 to 93 percent at Upper Lake High School, but is less at the continuation school, which affects the school district's funding, he said.
Iaccino said he plans to have the school resource deputy find truant students and bring them back to school.
Based on past practice, it's expected that the memorandum of understanding between Upper Lake High School District and the sheriff's office will now go to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.
That was the case with a similar agreement for a school resource deputy – which included the identical payment amount – between the sheriff's office and the Kelseyville Unified School District.
That agreement received the supervisors' unanimous approval in January, as Lake County News has reported.
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