By Linda Conner Lambeck

WESTPORT – Police will have seven schools in town as a new beat, but an officer won’t become a fixture inside school buildings without Board of Education approval.

“I want it to be positive and well received,” Supt. of Schools Thomas Scarice told the board Monday.

Nearly a month after board members drew the line at assigning an officer inside the town’s elementary and middle schools, Scarice broached the sensitive topic a second time, saying he would get board buy-in before making any change to existing regulations.

Current board policy states that to protect the health, safety and welfare of students, the school system will foster a good working relationship with the Westport Police Department while assuring respect for rights of students and parents.

“Consistent with the need to assure that individual rights are protected the superintendent shall establish regulations to govern police activities in school,” the policy continues.

Scarice said a page-long set of detailed regulations is attached to the policy, which the school board adopted in 2007.

The superintendent called it uncommon for the school board to vote on regulations, which are typically an administrative task, but pledged changes to those regulations would go through the same process.

In addition to board-set parameters, it was suggested a description of the assigned officer’s role should also be put in writing.

Scarice said he was approached by Police Chief Foti Koskinas over the summer about the idea of realigning the police force to better patrol schools, and he had embraced the idea.

The district has had a school resource officer — a specially trained police officer — at Staples High School since 2018.

This would be different.

Koskinas said the Police Department is by no means looking to force its way into schools.

“Getting access in schools is not the goal,” Koskinas said. “I can’t emphasize that enough.”

 The chief said the department is trying to reallocate resources in response to changing demands.

The day shift is busy, he said. Officers assigned to sectors of town with the most schools often can’t do justice to other parts of their beats.

By assigning Patrol Officer Brian Maraviglia to school day patrols, Koskinas envisions someone who can focus on traffic and safety around perimeters of the schools, as well as build relationships and be a backup for the district’s SRO.

Scarice said it was suggested by principals to offer the officer a space in schools — to check emails and such — but added that is not part of the deal.

Board member Lee Goldstein, critical of the idea at the last meeting, said the current approach is something she could support.

“So there is no misunderstanding, it’s better to have it all written down,” Goldstein said