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KINGSTON - Wyoming Valley West School Board members said the district&#8217;s high school needs a resource officer.The district has a contract with Plymouth Borough to provide one, and yet, since the beginning of this the 2015 - 2016 school year, there has been an inconsistent police presence at the school, according to board members.Principal Dave Novrocki said that the presence of the resource officer makes a significant improvement in school discipline and atmosphere.&#8220;When the school resource officer is in the building, problems are de-escalated more quickly,&#8221; said Novrocki.Joseph Mazur, board president, believes that the borough&#8217;s failure to provide an officer is politically motivated at the expense of the students and residents of the district and borough.Mazur served as Plymouth borough coordinator up until a few years ago and believes some bad blood has followed him.Mazur said members of the board had met several times with Plymouth&#8217;s mayor and police chief to no avail.&#8220;They said they would look into it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But nothing changed.&#8221;District Finance Manager Joseph Rodriguez said the resource officer was funded by an annual state grant in the amount of $30,000, to be on site seven hours a day during days when school in in session.Rodriguez said the borough usually billed the district twice, once in September and once in January.He said the borough had not yet billed the district at all for this school year.&#8220;And if you&#8217;re going to ask me if we would pay them now, the answer is no,&#8221; he said.Board member David Usavage said the district is also concerned about traffic control when school is dismissed in the afternoon.&#8220;The police chief was at the school today during that time, hiding behind some bushes,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When someone tried to allow the buses to get through and eliminate the congestion, he ran over and yelled at them.&#8221;Mazur said recently the resource officer has refused to sign in and out as he enters and exits the school or to indicate that he was directing traffic.The board indicated that they would continue to look into the matter, seeking to provide a resource officer at the high school as soon as possible.Superintendent Charles Suppon, addressing the situation, said, &#8220;safety for our students is our top priority.&#8221;The next meeting of the Wyoming Valley West School Board is scheduled for May 11, following a work session.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Geri Gibbonsggibbons@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Valley West School District looks for answers regarding the absence of resource school officer