Thursday was the first day back to school from Christmas Break for students around the region. In Unicoi County, Thursday also marked the first day of school for several school resource officers who will be patrolling the hallways of the county’s schools to ensure the safety of students and educators.
Full-time, Police Officer Standards and Training-certified officers have been placed in all Unicoi County schools, where they will remain from now through at least the end of this school year. Police patrols around the county’s schools will also be beefed up.
Unicoi County Sheriff Mike Hensley said the move to place these officers in the schools was done in response to last month’s school shooting in Newtown, Conn. Hensley said he and other county officials agreed that quick action needed to be taken to prevent a similar tragedy from occurring here.
Read more at the Johnson City Press.