When students return to some North Lawrence Community Schools this week, they may notice some new faces in the hallways.
The district entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bedford Police and Lawrence County Sheriff’s departments to have four, full-time school resource officers this year. An officer will be stationed at each of the district’s middle schools and the high school.
Superintendent Gary Conner says the goal isn’t just to keep students safe.
"We also want to ensure that if a child or a student or a young person has a problem they have someone that they feel could be a confidante, a liaison, but someone that is immediately available to help in time of need," he says.
The district also applied for 20 free, handheld metal detectors through a new state initiative. Conner says they’re still working on a policy that outlines how they’ll be used.