Livingston School Board considers plans for more officers in sch - WTVM.com-Columbus, GA News Weather & Sports

Livingston School Board considers plans for more officers in schools

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LIVINGSTON PARISH, LA (WAFB) -

Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard met with the school board Thursday night, intent on doing what he can to make area schools ready for anything.

"Let's do what's best for the safety of our kids and our community," Ard told members of the board.

Ard, who has two children in Livingston schools, presented a plan that would hire four new deputies to would serve as school resource officers to join three already in place in Denham Springs, Walker and Watson.

"We're basically coming up with a plan where each of these officers would take care more than one school, up to five school and some even six schools and they will take care of those on a daily basis," said Ard.

The costs, according to Ard, would be split down the middle with the school board and the sheriff's department each funding around $160,000. That is money Parish Superintendent John Watson believes would be well spent.

"We've been very blessed throughout the years with community schools. We have very safe schools and we try to stay vigilant," said Watson.

"I could use more road deputies or more detectives but I think this is more important right now I think our kids' safety is priority for me, so I'm ready to make this commitment and doing everything I can to make it work and I feel pretty confident the school board is going to do the same thing," added Ard.

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