Herkimer Central School District is providing the following fact sheet to help highlight and clarify some key points on school safety staffing for the district. If you haven’t yet, please also read a Friday, Dec. 12, letter from Herkimer Central School District Superintendent Kathleen A. Carney to parents and guardians.
● There will be no gap in security coverage while school is in session. The last day of school for students before winter recess is Friday, Dec. 19, when the Middle-High School will still have a school resource officer (SRO). The first day students are back to school is Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, when the Middle-High School will have a security guard from Allied Universal.
● The plan to replace the SRO at the Middle-High School is to have a school patrol officer (SPO) from the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office once one is available, but the Sheriff’s Office does not currently have the staffing to provide an SPO. Once another SPO is available, the district plans to have one SPO at the Elementary School and one SPO at the Middle-High School.
● Because a second SPO from the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office is not currently available, Herkimer CSD has contracted with an outside security company, Allied Universal, to provide a security guard at the Middle-High School starting on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026.
● The security guard from Allied Universal will be armed and will have gone through school-specific training.
● As has been the case since the start of school this year, the Herkimer Elementary School will still have SPO Ken Lawrence from the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office.
● Herkimer CSD has always paid the Herkimer Police Department for providing SROs, so that cost now shifts to paying the Herkimer County Sheriff’s Office for an SPO and Allied Universal for a security guard.
● The Herkimer Police Department will still be able to patrol the area, walk the school buildings and more to help with school safety.
● Herkimer CSD will continue to keep families informed as additional information becomes available.