Fort Mitchell and Blessed Sacrament Schools continue to discuss the city sponsoring a School Resource Officer at the school.
Ted Edgington, a representative from the Diocese of Covington, addressed Fort Mitchell city council at their September meeting. Edgington was seeking information about a potential School Resource Officer sponsorship for Blessed Sacrament School.
At this month’s council meeting, Blessed Sacrament School staff members formally requested School Resource Officer sponsorship from Fort Mitchell.
The Kentucky legislature passed House Bill 63 in 2022, which requires a School Resource Officer at all Kentucky public schools. Private schools do not have that requirement. However, House Bill 540, passed in 2023, enables private schools to ask local law enforcement agencies to sponsor a School Resource Officer.
Blessed Sacrament School Principal Aideen Briggs and Reverend Damian Hils attended the meeting to ask for just that. Hils sees the addition of a School Resource Officer to the campus as “improving safety standards for the community.”
“We want to make sure it’s a safe campus,” Hils said. “I think it’s time to get a School Resource Officer for security. We’re headed in that direction.”
Along with sponsorship, Blessed Sacrament School is also requesting financial assistance to cover the costs of the officer.
“I would ask you to help us pay for this, because it’s not about spreading the Catholic faith,” Hils said. “It’s about safety.”
There is some precedent for this. Other local private schools under the purview of the Diocese of Covington have School Resource Officer agreements with local governments. The funding structure varies from school to school. LINK asked Laura Keener, communications director at the Diocese of Covington, about Diocese schools’ financial agreements with local law enforcement agencies.
“The Diocese of Covington does not have a contract with any municipality for school resource officers,” Keener said. “The schools in the Diocese of Covington manage their own operational budgets, including contracts and salaries for contracted employees.”
LINK asked local governments about their School Resource Officer contracts with Diocese schools.
According to Julie Alig, city clerk and treasurer for the city of Park Hills, Covington Catholic High School reimburses the city for their School Resource Officer’s entire salary. Maj. Philip Ridgell with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department also says that the private schools they sponsor reimburse the department for the annual salary of their assigned School Resource Officer. However, the sheriff’s office provides the “marked cruiser, uniform and equipment.”
Brian Dehner, city administrator for the city of Edgewood, told LINK that St. Pius School reimburses the city for $35,292 per SRO per year. Dehner also explained the additional costs associated with a School Resource Officer, and that those costs are rising.
“Our [School Resource Officers] cost roughly $80,000 per year overall in cost (labor, uniforms, insurance, vehicle, computer/phone, training, oversight and some miscellaneous items),” Dehner said. “Basic economics has made the cost increase over the last 10 years. [ . . . ] The labor pool didn’t grow, but the demand has, we are now having to compete to hire a [School Resource Officer] and that drastically increases the labor cost.”
While the costs are high and continue to increase, Dehner is grateful that Edgewood provides this service to St. Pius.
“It is our belief that even though an entity may be private, that entity has employees, vendors, students, parents/grandparents and visitors from the community at the school everyday,” Dehner said. “I have been blessed with elected officials that support the program.”
This program also has preliminary support with Fort Mitchell elected officials. Mayor Jude Hehman has expressed interest in going forward with the sponsorship.
“I think it’s important to recognize that different schools, regardless of whether they’re public or private, if there is an emergency, our first responders are coming,” Hehman said. “That’s important because it’s our families and our children there.”
LINK also spoke with council member Greg Pohlgeers about his perspective.
“I know there are some that would argue separation between Church and state,” Pohlgeers said in an email interview. “While I certainly understand and appreciate the sentiment, I do believe we, as a city, have a moral responsibility to assist Blessed Sacrament.”
Pohlgeers suggested utilizing the “retire/rehire” program to hire an officer.
Fort Mitchell and Blessed Sacrament School are still considering a contract. There is no timeline on a contract or an ordinance.
“Conversations are still preliminary at this point,” said City Administrator Edwin King.