AUBURN — At a time of heightened concern for school safety, the last resource officer in the Auburn district has been pulled from Edward Little High School and reassigned to patrol duty due to a severe staffing shortage in the Police Department.

This is the second one to be pulled from Auburn schools this year due to a shortage of officers. The school district had two school resource officers at the start of the year, one at the middle school and one at the high school.

“While we love having them in the school and they are a vital part of our school community, I completely understand that the safety and well-being of the city has got to come first,” Superintendent Cornelia Brown said.

If a police officer is needed at the school, staff will need to call 9-1-1. Brown and Police Chief Jason Moen said they’re confident the city will respond quickly if an officer is needed at city schools.

“We can have police coverage within minutes,” Brown said. “It’s not like we are Turner and it’s going to take the Sheriff’s (Office) 15 or 20 minutes or longer to get to the school. Our schools, with perhaps the exception of East Auburn (Community School), are very centrally located.”

“We’ve got great response times,” Moen said. “Yes, we don’t have an officer on-site, but we have one that can be there in a moment’s notice.”

School resource officers are employees of the police departments who act as liaisons with students, he said.

“A lot of it has to do with, you know, kids are coming to school with issues that we’re working with them (on),” Moen said. “They may be victims of crimes at homes or out in the neighborhoods . . . the biggest part, especially with the high school, is just developing and maintaining those relationships.”

When staffing improves, the department will consider returning officers to the schools, he said.