Medina district will ensure school resource officer presence next year

Photo by Tom Rivers: Medina police officer Dustin Meredith assists Gabriella Burtwell, 5, of Medina in completing the bike rodeo course during National Night Out on Aug. 2, 2022. Meredith works as a school resource officer in Medina.

MEDINA – Dr. Mark Kruzynski, Medina’s school district superintendent, issued a statement today saying the district remains committed to a school resource officer presence at the district.

The Medina Village Board on Monday approved the village budget for 2025-26 which takes two Medina officers out of the district as school resource officers and the end of June.

The board said the $82,500 for each officer didn’t fully cover the officer’s expense to the village, which village officials put at $125,000 to $130,000 for the whole calendar year.

Medina will have the SROs, Dustin Meredith and Brandon Clouser, return to work out of the Police Department full-time. That will help the department which is currently down two officers in the regular rotation, with another in the academy and another doing the field training.

Kruzynski said Chad Kenward, the retired Medina police chief and a former school resource officer, will continue as a school security officer next school year as a Medina district employee. Kruzynski said the district will reach out to other law enforcement agencies about other officers as SROs at Medina.

Here is Kruzynski’s statement:

The Medina Central School District remains unwavering in its commitment to maintaining a safe and secure learning environment for all students.

Recently, the Village of Medina Board adopted a budget that discontinues the provision of Medina Police Department staff for the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. While this decision means that the District will not have Medina police officers serving as SROs next school year, we want to reassure families and the broader community that student safety continues to be our highest priority.

We are pleased to share that our School Security Officer, Chad Kenward, will remain in place for the 2025-26 school year. Officer Kenward plays a vital role in maintaining a safe school environment and supporting the needs of our students and staff.

In light of the Village’s decision, the District is actively exploring a range of options of fill the gap left by the absence of SROs.

We value our past partnership with the Medina Police Department and are grateful for the work their officers have done in our schools. The District is committed to transparency and will continue to keep our families informed as we move forward with safety planning for the upcoming school year.

Thank you for your continued trust and support.

Sincerely,

Mark B. Kruzynski, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools Medina Central School District