Mar 15, 2019 2 min read

Washington School Board has decided to terminate its contract for police services with the Washington Police Department.

The board voted Monday to end the agreement with the police department, which expires at the conclusion of the 2018-19 school year.

The administration is considering other options for providing safety at the district’s schools, including hiring a school resource officer or a school police officer.

The school district was satisfied with the service provided by the police department, but Dr. James Konrad, superintendent, said the district wants to provide an armed officer to be on-site throughout the school day at both the elementary and the junior/senior high school buildings.

“The safety and security of our students and staff is number one. We’re just trying to make sure that both buildings have a police presence,” said Konrad. “We want someone five days a week, and someone who builds relationships with the students and the community.”

In another matter, directors voted to eliminate safety education, which includes drivers’ education, at Washington High School during the school day, at the end of the current school year.

The course will be offered at alternative times – possibly after school, on weekends and during the summer – at no charge to students.

“We’re still going to offer these classes – during the summer, on weekends or at night – so students will still have that opportunity to take it, but during the school day we want to offer more rigorous classes,” said Konrad.