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Lisbon school board hires resource officer

LISBON — Three months after seeking community input about a school resource officer, the Lisbon school board unanimously hired someone for that position on Thursday.

The board approved Lisbon police officer Tab Bailey for the position, and he will serve as school resource officer (SRO) for both Lisbon David Anderson Junior/Senior High School and McKinley Elementary during the school year.

The district will pay $3,928 per month as a purchase service through the Lisbon Police Department for the SRO.

Superintendent Joseph Siefke said the community showed interest in having a school resource officer during the town hall meeting the district held back in March.

“I think that the partnership with the Lisbon Police Department is very beneficial to our community, and I couldn’t think of a better choice,” he said of Bailey, who has already provided a police presence for the school district.

“Tab is very familiar with our community and our buildings,” he said.

Like many other local districts, Lisbon began looking into a resource officer after the Florida shooting in February that left 17 high school students dead.

Siefke said a resource officer will supplement the existing safety measures already put into place by the district. Future plans include closing off additional entrances into buildings, so that students will come through one main entrance that can be watched by Bailey.

“These kinds of decisions are the types of decisions that we have to make,” he said.

He recalled that prior to the Florida shooting, he felt the district was reasonably “insulated” due to the fact that the local police department is only two to three blocks away, the highway patrol is just outside of town, and county sheriff’s deputies routinely visit the nearby county courthouse and municipal court building.

Despite that, he later decided a school resource officer would be necessary in the event that local law enforcement would be busy on other calls or unable to get to the junior/senior high school or elementary buildings in time.

“I think this is going to be a great partnership,” he said.

Bailey was present at the meeting and said he has already spoken with other SROs in the county to get suggestions.

Board member Eugene Gallo encouraged Bailey to look into ways to build trust among students, noting that they are the “eyes” and “ears” of the district.

Bailey previously worked for the Columbiana Police Department before joining the Lisbon force on a part-time basis. He was moved to a full-time patrol position in December 2017. He had 22 years on the Columbiana force before resigning on Sept. 8, 2014, following an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct while on duty. Charges were never filed.

kwhite@mojonews.com

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