Massena school board member shares concerns about weapons in school
Although he voted to approve the agreement, Robert M. LeBlanc said he was concerned about the SRO carrying a weapon on school grounds.
Michael A. Flynn, the Massena Police Department's juvenile officer, serves as the district's school resource officer under an agreement between the district and village.
"You know, in the United States, the number one cause of death for kids are guns. So, I don't like guns on a property. I think having a gun permanently on a property is not right. It's not something I like," he said.
LeBlanc said he likes the students being exposed to a police officer.
"We're lucky to have a good guy. Mr. Flynn is a good guy, he said.
But, having a weapon on school grounds didn't sit right with him.
"I like when they come and they share their life with the police officer. But, I don't like guns," LeBlanc said.
He said the police department was close enough that they could respond in an emergency situation.
"I don't like the idea of the SRO. I think with the police station being in the middle of the school district, if there's an incident, there's going to be a team, not one guy, who's going to react to the incident. So, I don't think the idea of having an SRO is good," he said.
However, LeBlanc joined with the board in unanimously approving the agreement.
"I'm going to support the proposition. But, in general, I don't like guns on the property. I don't think it's a good idea," he said.
The village and school district had signed an agreement in February 2024 for Flynn to also work as the school resource officer. The initial agreement provided a school resource officer from February 2024 to June 2024, and a second agreement was for Flynn to work as an SRO from July 2024 to June 2025. Flynn serves strictly in his juvenile officer position during the summer.
Village trustees had approved the agreement, which runs from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026, during their May meeting. The school district will be paying an additional $80,000 for the school resource officer under the agreement.
"The contract with the village of Massena for our SRO shows an $80,000 increase this year. The village of Massena was arbitrarily charging us around $70,000 to $80,000. That's not the true cost of the SRO, and the village is basically requiring that if we want to maintain that relationship, that we do need to pay the full cost of the individual," Superintendent Ronald P. Burke had told school members during their May meeting.
He said the village was picking up additional costs related to the SRO.
"As you see, our SRO works on different days when school is not in session. We need to keep in mind that there is a little bit of give and take on this. We're not paying for the police vehicle. We are not paying for the equipment that the police officer has. We're not paying for the training. What we're paying for is a true cost of the personnel, not all the other materials that go along with that," Burke said.
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