Ramona among school districts to have cop on campus

Ramona Unified is among nine school districts in unincorporated San Diego County that will soon have school resource officers on campus, County News Center reported following a vote by the county board of supervisors Tuesday.

Eight new San Diego County Sheriff’s Department deputies will be assigned to high schools in the nine districts, the county reported. The officers are expected to be on campus this fall.

“School resource officers have been on San Diego school campuses for 20 years and the program has been extremely successful,” said Chairman Bill Horn. “It is high time all unincorporated-area schools enjoy the same opportunities to curb teenage delinquency and build positive relationships.”

Supervisor Dianne Jacob added that campus security is important to everyone and that parents expect that their children will be safe at school.

“Our region, unfortunately, has been no stranger to campus violence and we need to do all we can to keep our campuses secure,” said Jacob. “Parents need to know their kids are not only learning while in the classroom, but that they are safe.”

County supervisors voted to help fund school officers in the unincorporated areas of the county as part of the “School Safety Initiative,” introduced in June by Jacob and Horn.

The board of supervisors approved allocating $1.8 million for the sheriff’s officers in the 2015-16 school year. The sheriff’s department will negotiate cost sharing agreements with the districts for future school years.

Ramona Unified Superintendent Robert Graeff, Ed.D., said Wednesday that he had not yet received any details about the supervisors’ vote.

The supervisors on Tuesday also approved agreements for truancy officers in La Mesa-Spring Valley and Cajon Valley school districts.

Sheriff’s school resource officers help create safe campuses and neighborhoods by reinforcing friendly interaction between teens and law enforcement and offering early intervention when it comes to drug and gang activity, county officials noted.

Deputies now serve 16 schools in five districts, but only four of the schools are in unincorporated areas. Tuesday’s action will add service to 21 unincorporated-area high schools.

In addition to Ramona, districts getting school resource officers include Julian Union, Mountain Empire Unified, Grossmont Union (Steele Canyon Charter High School), Borrego Springs Unified, Valley Center-Pauma Unified, Warner Unified, Fallbrook Union and Vista Unified.