School Resource Officer Paul Arruda is taking a different assignment with the Dartmouth Police Department. But the way this decision was rolled out raised concerns with some parents.

A discussion regarding Arruda's reassignment initially took place between school administrators and the police department on Dec. 7. In a private Facebook group, parents have aired their concerns that this change was the result of a disagreement between Arruda and Principal John Gould regarding how doors should be secured.

Szala said that is not the case.

“It was a mutually agreed upon personnel change with Officer Arruda and the administration,” said Szala. “There were no disciplinary issues or misconduct issues on Arruda’s part.”

Szala said Arruda has worked as a resource officer for the past eight years, but not always at the high school.

“I suggested a dayshift for him, so he could still be active around school time, but, he, on his own, chose nights,” said Acting Police Chief Robert Szala.

Regarding the doors, Superintendent Bonny Gifford said she has received several emails from concerned parents that doors were being left ajar. Gifford said she looked into the matter personally, observing how security was handled in the early morning hours of Dec. 16 and 17.

“The doors are open as the thousand or so kids are entering in the morning. They’re not locked. And that’s normal practice in every district I’ve been in,” she said.

“But, with that said, there are numerous adults there as kids are entering. People are being greeted and being noticed,” she added.

After passing by school staffers outside on the sidewalk, students pass through a set of doors that are monitored by security guards. She said there will sometimes be staffers stationed outside the library, well beyond the foyer.

“Everyone’s moving in, and, at that point, the doors are locked,” said Gifford. “For now – with the size of the school, the practices that are in place and the vigilance that I have observed many times during the morning and throughout the day – I’m very comfortable, and parents should be, too. There are no security concerns.”

With that in mind, Gifford said she also understands that having a resource officer is important to the community.

“That’s why an officer has been assigned to the school,” said Szala. “There has been no lapse in security at the school. All day long, an officer is there. And next week, someone will be permanently assigned.”

Szala said the job will be posted until 1 p.m. on Dec. 18, and the interviewing process will begin soon after. After that person is hired, he or she will work as a resource officer for about 10 weeks before entering specialized training.

Szala said the goal is to have the officer become familiar with his or her surroundings and the students before entering formalized training in March. While the new officer is in training classes, another officer from the police department will fill the position temporarily.

Another concern expressed on Facebook was the way in which this news was communicated to parents. Some had not heard about the reassignment until posts started to appear on social media this week.

“We can own that,” said Gifford. “We always strive to have good communication. When Dr. Gould said he was going to put the letter out, we did opt to do it over all three ways we could: phone, text and email.”

She said that system is not foolproof, and gaps in communication may have occurred.

“People need to know that there is still an officer on duty, and there are plans to replace him permanently,” said Gifford. “Good practices continue no matter who is there.”