Mancos School District R-6 recently announced that Mancos Marshal officer Jesse Minor has been selected to be a resource officer, concluding nearly a year of work to create the position.
Minor officially started this month.
According to Superintendent Todd Cordrey, the last time an SRO was on campus was about 12 years ago.
Five years ago, safety the Board of Education discussed allowing administrators and staff to carry firearms on campus for safety. The idea died, but safety discussions carried on.
In February 2024, the community was invited to join a SRO committee, which met about school safety in April. By May, the committee had created SRO surveys that gauged thoughts from parents, staff and students about adding an SRO.
The district also hosted open meetings with staff and residents to get additional input.
After receiving feedback, the committee helped revise the memorandum of understanding between the town and school district to “establish an understanding” of what a SRO position would mean for the district and community.
“Based upon the town hall meetings and the survey information, it seemed that there was a lot of enthusiasm for moving forward with a school district resource officer,” Cordrey said.
The committee presented their findings to the school board in September. In October, Minor was selected by Marshal Justen Goodall to be the SRO. Minor then attended training offered by the National Association of School Resource Officers.
After Minor’s selection, town representatives, school board members, members of the Marshal’s Office and the SRO committee finalized the MOU. Minor started his role as SRO at the end of 2024 and was introduced to staff at the start of January.
“I think this just fortifies our relationship with the town of Mancos,” Cordrey said. “We collaborate on a variety of things, and this is another areas we can collaborate to fortify that relationship.”
Minor will be present on campus during regular school hours, outside of contract hours and whenever the town and school determine his presence is necessary.
His office will be in the school building as well, and the district asked teachers to invite communication with Minor and introduce him to classes.
As SRO, Minor will handle situations that might involve a 911 call, such as reckless or dangerous driving, threats, kidnappings, injuries, suicide attempts, weapon cases and drugs.
Normal disciplinary matters, detentions, expulsions and others will still be handled by teachers and administrative staff.
Districts safety and security coordinator Will Custer will work on a “day-to-day basis” with Minor.
“In Mancos, we are excited about the addition of officer Minor as our school district's SRO,” Custer told The Journal. “He has already spent time on campus as an officer on campus and is passionate about establishing a long-lasting and productive SRO program in Mancos. … We believe we can ensure that SRO Minor is an available educational resource for all students and classes in Mancos.”
“This is a win for the school and the community; it fortifies the relationship between MSD and the town of Mancos,” Cordrey said. “The MOU written in this process will protect student and staff rights while also protecting the school community from violent acts.”
Minor did not respond to The Journal’s request for comment.
