The Frewsburg Central School Board of Education was introduced to the new school resource officer provided by the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. The school district has been search for an SRO for more than a year. P-J photo by Jordan W. Patterson

FREWSBURG – Although he wields a firearm and has extensive police training, Frewsburg’s new school resource officer will assist with education potentially more than he will with emergencies.

The Frewsburg Central School District has been in search for an SRO for more than a year. And at the beginning of the 2019-20 school year, Robert Clark, a Chautauqua County Sheriff’s deputy, filled the need in the district.

“I’m just really honored that I was considered for the position of school resource officer,” Clark said.

“I’m a deputy for the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff (Jim) Quattrone gave me this appointment and being new to this type of position I’m excited to take on the challenge and the role.”

Clark was introduced to the Frewsburg Central School Board of Education during Thursday’s regular meeting. Clark is a full-time employee for the 12 months of the school year with the current contract effective from Sept. 1, 2019, through Aug. 31, 2020. O’Boyle said the SRO’s salary is around $77, 700.

“I’m excited, finally after a year of trying to pursue an SRO, to introduce to you officer Rob Clark,” O’Boyle said at the meeting. “He started with us right on the first couple of days of school. He’s been dividing time among RHJ (Robert H. Jackson Elementary School), the middle school, the high school, he’s been in classrooms, he’s gone around the campus to learn the layout and he’s been interacting with students.”

Clark comes to the Frewsburg with 13 years of EMS experience and three years of experience as a deputy.

Clark’s duties within the district include serving as an educator and deterrent of alcohol and drug use and abuse; a resource for families; an additional presence in the schools; a contributor to building safety plans; an investigator of outside school incidents; a promoter of youth and police interaction; a liaison with community services and police departments; and a positive role model for students.

The district began searching for an SRO during the 2018-19 school year. Frewsburg began to reach out the Sheriff’s Office around February. Ahead of the 2019-20 school year, O’Boyle said she and Quattrone were committed to bringing a school resource officer to Frewsburg.

The district initially considered the Carroll Town Police Department to employ two part-time officers for $36,666 each with an additional one-time payment of $13,650. While the district knew there was a lack of interest in the position from Carroll, town officials announced in February that they would not be providing an SRO to the school district.

Following Thursday’s meeting, Clark added that he’s excited to be able to now “see all the young faces and all the new faces and be a part of the Frewsburg community and the Frewsburg Bears.”

In other news, the board went into executive session at the end of the regular meeting. Board President Chad Chitester said the purpose of the session was to “discuss the matters leading to the suspension of particular personnel.”

O’Boyle noted that she could not comment because it was a personnel matter. No action was taken outside of executive session.