City should reconsider school officer rejection

I am a 12-year resident of Ward 4 in Fayetteville. I have three children currently enrolled in Fayetteville Public Schools. I was deeply disappointed that the City Council declined to accept a grant to cover the bulk of the cost for two additional school resource officers. The council voted 7-0 to apply for the grant on March 3 but decided not to accept the money on Aug. 4 by a vote of 3-5. What changed in Fayetteville during those five months?

Teresa Turk, one of our Ward 4 representatives, voted to accept the grant, and I thank her. However, I also find myself in the strange situation of being represented by an un-elected council member who voted against accepting this grant.

In 2017, Alan Long resigned from the City Council with more than three years remaining on his term. With so much time remaining, many residents requested a special election to fill this seat. That request was denied, and instead Kyle Smith was appointed by a 5-2 vote of the City Council to serve the remainder of Mr. Long’s term.

Kyle Smith is a teacher at Har-Ber high school in Springdale. According to the websites of both cities, Springdale has 18 school resource officers while Fayetteville has only five.

Mr. Smith and I have exchanged several emails on this subject, and he seems sincere in his beliefs and confident in his vote on this matter, but I do not believe he fully understands his constituency. Perhaps if he had been required to campaign for his seat on the council, he would better understand the diversity of thought in Ward 4.

Like many other residents of Fayetteville, I agree with Superintendent John Colbert that the school resource officer program needs to be reinforced. As a parent, I can tell you that seeing a resource officer’s police car in the school parking lot is a relief. Having them travel with our children to basketball and football games is reassuring. Watching them build relationships with all our students is heartwarming. Having them on campus to protect our children is essential.

The City Council needs to immediately reconsider this proposal. This time, I hope our council members will listen to all the voices in their districts and vote to hire these additional officers.

STEVE SMITH Fayetteville