Lehighton takes first step to add armed officers to schools

Lehighton Area School District’s board of directors took the first step Monday night toward adding two armed part-time police officers who would “provide a consistent presence” in district schools and at extra-curricular activities.

By an 8-1 vote, with David Bradley Sr. voting no, the board approved petitioning the Carbon County Court of Common Pleas to add the officers. It later approved the pay rate and job description.

The district was looking into a school resource officer partnership with Lehighton Borough and had proposed paying 80 percent to cover the officer, while the borough would pick up 20 percent. When the borough asked the school district to fund the officer 100 percent, however, administration began looking at other avenues.

Locally, Hazleton and Pleasant Valley are among the districts to already have school police officers in place.

A full story of the Lehighton board’s action is in tonight’s Times News.