MT. VERNON — The city of Mt. Vernon and Mt. Vernon City Schools both gave the green light for a new School Resource Officer (SRO) agreement for the school district. The district will cover the salary of the officer during the school year as the officer is working in the district.

Mt. Vernon City Schools Superintendent Aletta Lawrence says the district use to have a SRO through grant money. She says after a few years without an officer’s presence in the schools and the climate we live in today, the district feels that an officer is needed in their district.

Lawrence says in addition to safety, another vital part of having an SRO is to build a positive relationship between the students and police.

The agreement will run for four years.