Riverhead BOE approves plan to bring resource officers to schools

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The Riverhead School Board has approved school resource officers in the high school and middle school, beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. A 13-page agreement between the board and the Town of Riverhead revealed that the school resource officers would be stationed inside the schools five days a week. The officers will be able to carry weapons. The decision of whether they will openly carry, or conceal them will be made by the Riverhead chief of police, who will also decide which officers will fill the two roles. The officers will be employees of the Riverhead Police Department, but as per the agreement with the town, the school board will pay half of the salary of one of the officers for the first school year and then half the salaries of both officers in the second year of the contract. "