Five schools in the Maricopa Unified School District will keep school resource officers on their campuses after the Maricopa City Council unanimously approved a new memorandum of understanding on Tuesday, according to InMaricopa.
Under the agreement, police officers from the Maricopa Police Department will spend 40 hours a week in the district’s School Safety Program. The district will use state Department of Education grant funding to cover the positions.
The schools included in the program are Alma Farrell Innovation Academy, Desert Sunrise High School, Desert Winds Middle School, Maricopa High School and Maricopa Wells Middle School.
According to the city, the officers will carry out law enforcement duties, provide education related to the law and mentor students. Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr said the arrangement will not reduce the number of officers patrolling the city or assigned to specific beats.
The district will pay the city $577,778 under the intergovernmental agreement, which is set to run through June 30, 2029.
