While Wareham Public Schools does not have decision making power over the recently cut school resource officer, Superintendent Kimberly Shaver-Hood is seeking a makeshift alternative.

“This is not a school resource officer,” Shaver-Hood said, referring to the recently eliminated police position. “We are not going to be able to replace the school resource officer, but this is something.”

The schools have created a "security resource position." The position will be in the schools for three hours a day, two of which must be during school hours, for the normal school week.

The position will be funded until the end of the school year.

“I understand the value our school resource officer had,” Shaver-Hood said. “It’s not something we wanted to lose.”

The school resource officer, a position funded by the Wareham Police Department and cut on Feb. 10, was filled by officer Karl Baptiste.

“Our administration relied on the school resource officer’s expertise, and we were looking to provide that support,” Shaver-Hood said.

“Anyone can apply. If Karl Baptiste wants to apply, he certainly may,” she added. “We are meeting some of the need people have identified.”

“This is not ideal,” Shaver-Hood said. “Ideally, we would like to have two of these positions, full time.”

Shaver-Hood said grant money for technology purchases have been reallocated to fund the security resource position.

“This is a higher priority,” Shaver-Hood said.

The technology purchase was in preparation for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers tests, an online test which will take place in the 2014-2015 academic year.

"We'll still have to figure out how to fund that," Shaver-Hood said.