Township, District Meet Over School Resource Officer

Four months after controversy erupted over the police department's plans to replace longtime School Resource Officer (SRO) Bryan Wright, the township and school district are at the table discussing a long-term plan for keeping an SRO at Moorestown schools.

The uproar started in part due to the fact that the shared services agreement regarding the SRO expired more than 10 years ago. School Board President Don Mishler said a new agreement has been the subject of the latest talks—the first since the issue first came to a head back in February. 

Mishler said the district is primarily looking for two things in the new agreement: consistency (having dependable police coverage, even when Wright is out) and familiarity (someone who is knowledgeable about the school district). 

The district has every intention of keeping Wright as SRO, according to Mishler. "Unless he wants to leave, there's no incentive for us to change that."

The township walked back the decision to replace Wright following the hubbub, and both sides agreed a new long-term agreement was necessary in order to move forward. 

Township manager Scott Carew reiterated there's no plan currently to replace Wright, or make any other changes pertaining to the SRO. Nevertheless, an agreement is crucial, he said, because "if either the police department or the school district wanted to make a change, there (needs to be) a process in place that meets the needs of both parties and ultimately protects the interest of the students in the schools."

He added via email, "The former agreement is a little thin and does not fully take into account the uniqueness of this position. While the SRO is filled by a police officer and is a position within the police department, he works the vast majority of the time in the schools ... and any shared service agreement regarding this position must appreciate this dichotomy."

Mishler echoed Carew: "We're coming up with a contract that represents (the township's) goals and represents our goals. It was a really good meeting. Everyone came to it with the attitude that we want the schools to be safe ... we want the schools to be comfortable."

He said no timetable has been set for crafting a new agreement. Mishler expects both sides will meet again sometime in August.

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