ELMA, N.Y. — When Iroquois Central School District heard about the tragic shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, the school district sprung into action to add extra security protection.
A key fob opens every door in the school district. It's one of the many layers of protection they added.
Superintendent Douglas Scofield and School Resource Officer (SRO) Joseph DePlato told me about the others.
"We're searching ballistic film for all the glass throughout the district. We started the SROs," DePlato said.
There are blue boxes resembling fire alarms around the schools. Once they are pulled, it will immediately dial 911 and say the location of the danger. A blue will also strobe, emitting an alarm if something is going on.
"The SRO is not a security guard, and it's more than law enforcement. It's someone here that develops relationships with the kids and communicates," Superintendent Scofield said.
The burning question is, How does the district plan to pay for it all? State Senator Patrick Gallivan says the state never planned to provide funding. Iroquois previously paid for its security upgrades after receiving a one-time grant. So Gallivan introduced legislation this year to fund SRO programs at schools statewide.
"Some of the resistance to put police officers in schools really goes hand in hand with the respect that is or disrespect that some people have for law enforcement," Senator Gallivan said.
Fortunately, the SRO program works for Iroquois. Students hand-drew letters to the officers thanking them for protection. There are currently five SROs within the district.