After a 2022-2023 school year without a School Resource Officer due to a shortage of police officers in the College Place Police Department, College Place Public Schools welcomed Officer Andrew Schild as the new School Resource Officer (SRO) in the district. Officer Schild will support district schools Davis Elementary, Sager Middle, and College Place High School with a regular police presence. The role of the SRO has changed over time, but safety and security through prevention, patrol, and intervention is still the paramount focus.
During the year hiatus of the program, CPPS added a position of Campus Support at Sager Middle and College Place High School that was intended to be a stopgap for the loss of the SRO program. The Campus Support position added a level of security in ensuring exterior doors were closed and locked, security cameras were monitored, students gained support around bullying and harassment, and support of school safety surrounding attendance, dress code, and crisis. While the position was intended only for the 2022-2023 school year, the CPPS School Board received such positive impact on the effectiveness that it voted to continue the position, along with the CPPD SRO program, as an added layer of safety.
“Our district has continued to take the stance that we have to continue to enhance safety measures in our schools. Our schools have world-class safety technology and welcoming back the SRO position alongside our Campus Support will only make our schools safer. I am proud of our excellent working relationship with the College Place Police Department. Chief Troy Tomaras continues to make our schools a focus of safety for his department and we are grateful," stated College Place Public Schools Superintendent Jim Fry.
Officer Schild will officially begin his duties with the district Monday, September 25th.
On August 30th, College Place High School students embarked on their fourth annual service day. Nearly all of the school’s 500 students gave 1.5 hours of service at a variety of locations across the College Place community. The annual project aligns with one of the district’s key tenants of “Selflessness in Service of Others.”
Students arrived by school bus and district vehicles to numerous locations including Sunset Villas for yard cleanup, Frog Hollow Farms to pick cherry tomatoes for delivery to the BMAC food bank where students volunteered to assist with the food pickup. Students also went to Frenchtown Historic Site, YWCA, the trails managed by BMAC, and numerous other areas of the City of College Place and beyond.
The ongoing project that takes place early each year is aimed at teaching the students lessons about community service, taking pride in the community, and understanding the strong connection between College Place Schools and the community. It is an excellent way for the students and the district to give back to the community that gives so much to them. If you have a project that you would like considered for Fall 2024, please contact Ambra Bryant at abryant@cpps.org