COVINGTON, Ky. - A Covington police officer will soon be assigned permanently to the campus of Holmes High School and Middle School.

 

The Covington City Commission voted 5-0 tonight to approve an agreement between the City and Covington Independent Public Schools authorizing the officer’s assignment and defining his role.

 

An officer will be on campus for the last couple of weeks of the current school year and will be there when the 2018-19 school year begins this fall, Police Chief Rob Nader said.

 

“Our goal is to eliminate any concerns or distractions related to safety and security and free teachers and students to do what they’re at school to do: teach and learn,” Nader said. “This is about Covington’s youth and their future. We’re committed to partnering with school officials to fulfill this goal.”

 

Covington school officials praised the agreement.

 

“School safety has always been a priority of Covington schools,” Superintendent Alvin Garrison said. “Having a police presence on campus will help to ensure the security of our students and staff.

 

“We most certainly thank the mayor, commissioners and police for helping to make this happen,” he added. “We have a great working relationship with the city administration and police, and we know we could not do this without their support.”

 

The Covington agreement replaces a previous agreement with the Kenton County Sheriff’s office, which had deputies assigned to the schools.

 

The school system will pay the City $80,000 a year under the agreement, plus the cost of any specialized training.

 

Chief Nader said the Covington officer won’t be a traditional school resource officer in that he won’t be teaching or enforcing classroom or school discipline but rather be acting as a law enforcement officer with the campus and surrounding area as his “beat.”

 

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