RICHMOND, Ky. (WDRB) -- His job description is to make sure Kentucky's children are safe in school. It is a daunting task, but one Ben Wilcox said he relishes.
Wilcox is Kentucky's first school security marshal, a position created by Senate Bill 1, the school safety and security law passed by the General Assembly during the 2019 session.
His office is located in the Department of Criminal Justice Training on the campus of Eastern Kentucky University, but Wilcox said he does not plan to spend much time there.
He plans to visit all 170 school districts and many of the 1,400 public schools in the state.
"Yes, I'm going to be very busy," he said.
Wilcox's job is to make sure schools comply with the new security requirements contained in SB 1.
"It's not all about the reading. It's not all about math," he said. "It's about a child being able to feel secure and safe."
The new rules include physical upgrades that limit access to schools and that monitor the entrances. Over time, schools will also be required to hire more guidance counselors and school resource officers.
"We're looking to have a school resource officer in every school in the state of Kentucky by 2021 as funds become available and as qualified personnel become available," Wilcox said.
Wilcox said he is concerned that Jefferson County Public Schools recently did away with SROs. He said the district's planned new police force must comply with the new law.
"If they're certified police officers and ... if they come through our SRO certification, then that will qualify," Wilcox said.
Wilcox has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and was hired as one of Kentucky's first SROs following the Columbine massacre in 1999.
"As long as we are pushing forward as hard as we can, we will make this successful because we can't fail at this," Wilcox said.
To help ensure success, Wilcox is now hiring 14 regional compliance officers to work closely with each school district.
"I want folks from that area to be able to go in and help those schools," he said.
He said that help will include more than just making sure schools are locked down.
"From law enforcement to mental health to education, everybody's coming to the table," he said.
There is one aspect of school security that Wilcox admits he cannot control: state funding to help local schools comply with the new rules.
Lawmakers will make that decision during next year's budget session.
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