Lower Burrell, Burrell School District approve 5-year contract for school resource officer

Lower Burrell and the Burrell School District recently approved a five-year contract for a city police officer to serve as an onsite school resource officer in the district.

There are no changes to the overall framework of the new contract compared to the previous three-year contract, said Lower Burrell Councilman Chris Fabry. The new contract runs from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2027.

The new contract calls for a 2.5% annual wage increase, he said.

The city bills the school district for 70% of the SRO officer’s salary and benefits. The latest bill from the city was for $79,297 for the 2020-21 school year, Fabry said.

“I could not be happier at how easily this contract came together,” said Fabry, who thanked Burrell Superintendent Shannon Wagner and the Burrell school board. “The SRO goes well beyond just policing the hallways. It is about relationship building and building trust.”

Known as “Officer Rob,” Robert Acquaviva has been the city’s SRO officer for Burrell since September 2020. In the current school year, Acquaviva filed 86 incident reports and 46 Safe2Say tips, a program for students to give anonymous tips on other students experiencing difficulties, Wagner said.

Tips have included cyberbullying, potential violence, drug issues, depression, anxiety and potential suicides.

“Patrolman Acquaviva is a wonderful addition to our school district,” Wagner said.

She cited the way he develops relationships with students and families, runs down tips and provides “fun and interactive lessons for the school’s D.A.R.E. (drug and alcohol resistance education) program.”

Acquaviva took on the role when John Marhefka, the school’s longtime school resource officer, became chief of the city’s force in 2020. Marhefka said he was happy that the city and Burrell were continuing the tradition of an SRO officer for the next five years.

“The SRO is the conduit that bridges the students and the community with our police department,” he said.

The safety of the students and staff is a major priority for city police, Marhefka said. “The SRO position is a very valuable component to our department dealing with a lot of the juvenile matters, instruction of dare the drug abuse resistance education program, and the student police academy program.”