As the Peterborough Select Board and ConVal School Committee were in the process of approving a memorandum of understanding for a school resource officer at the high school, it was encouraging to learn that the parties were aware of a significant potential drawback.

When the concept of a school resource officer works, an officer in the school can be a valuable asset. Superintendent Kimberly Rizzo Saunders said there may be 800 to 1,000 people in the high school on any given day, and that a police officer in school can help avert school violence. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Secret Service, in 67 cases where an attack on a school was prevented, in a third of those cases, a school resource officer either reported the plot or responded to a reported plot.

Additionally, Peterborough Police Chief Scott Guinard said an officer can provide resources to the school and help stop situations before they reach the point where further police intervention is needed.

However, in explaining his hesitancy about the idea of a school resource officer, Select Board Chairman Tyler Ward raised an important concern, that many minority communities, and others, have a negative perception of police. To his credit, Guinard acknowledged the concern that resource officers contribute to the “school-to-prison pipeline,” and that according to statistics from the American Civil Liberties Union, Black students are punished more than white students, despite making up only 16 percent of public school enrollment nationally.

Guinard said that is not the objective for the officer who will be posted in ConVal. Whether the school resource officer ends up being Justin Hyland, who has stated a willingness to fill the position, or some other officer now or in the future, it will be important to make sure it is always the case that a school resource officer is an asset, someone who provides a service to the school and the students while contributing to positive views of police officers, not reinforcing negative ones.

The good news is that it appears Guinard knows this, and knowing is half the battle.