Across the country, officials are trying to figure out the best way to protect students in school.
At Big Foot High School in Walworth County, they just hired an armed officer to stand guard and act when necessary.
This was already in the works since last year, this new initiative will hopefully deter people from trying to commit crimes on the school's campus.
Fully trained and fully armed, Village of Walworth Police Officer Jessie Lewin is at Big Foot to beef up the security.
“I think it’s a good move on the school and I think it’ll better serve the students of Big Foot,” Lewin said.
District Administrator Doug Parker says after what happened in Florida, you can’t have enough safety, with nationwide threats more frequent the school wanted to be proactive.
"She’s here to protect our kids, protect our staff and serve our community,” Parker said. “The missing piece here was having the person in case something unfortunate happened.”
Parents say this new effort is a start in the right direction. As far as they’re concerned, there’s no downside to it.
“With all the things going on in other schools, it makes me feel comfortable because I know somebody’s here watching out for her and the other students,” said Kelly Weinrauch, whose granddaughter attends the school.
“I can’t see any reason that would be a negative thing,” said Richard Hagerty, another parent.
Only on the job for a week now Lewin will stay at the school until the end of the school year as part of a trial run. In July the school board will meet to determine if she’ll come back for a full academic year.
Lewin has three years of experience. The school is paying $7,500 for school security for the rest of the year.
