ADAMS TWP — The Mars School Board president said the district appreciates police departments’ shared concern for students and staff after the tragic shootings at a Connecticut elementary school, and announced the district wants to have an Adams Township officer patrol the schools full time.

Dayle Ferguson, school board president, said at Tuesday’s board meeting that the district recently entered into a temporary agreement with the Adams police department for an officer to patrol all five buildings in the district each school day until Jan. 31.

The Centennial, middle school, high school, primary center and elementary school are within 1.3 miles of one another on Route 228.

Ferguson said the district wants to have a full-time Adams officer patrol inside and outside school buildings as well as to perform searches as needed and other tasks.

The board unanimously approved the drafting of a letter by Superintendent William Pettigrew to the Adams Township supervisors requesting a permanent officer at the district.

Pettigrew said the district expects to forward payment to the township for the officer, and that amount would be worked out later if the supervisors agree to the idea.

“I think it’s now necessary that we make that formal proposal and see what the township has to say,” Pettigrew said.

He said the officer would only patrol during the school day because a private security firm handles security for sports and other activities in the district after school hours.

The traditional township police presence during arrival and dismissal times each day would continue if a full-time officer were supplied to the district, Pettigrew said.

District solicitor Tom King said the officer would be employed by the township for school district purposes. King said such an officer would be covered by the township’s insurance and worker’s compensation, and would abide by the police department’s weapons policies.

Ferguson read a statement regarding the Newtown, Conn., shootings in which she expressed the board’s “sadness and sympathy.”

She also thanked the Middlesex, Adams and Mars police departments for sharing the board’s concern for staff and students after the tragedy, in which 20 first-graders and six adults were fatally shot.

Mars Police Chief Kevin Radford said this morning that in the tense days after the shooting, his daylight officers patrolled the parking lots at all the school buildings, Middlesex officers walked the halls at the Centennial School occasionally, and Adams officers patrolled all schools in the district.

“We tried to maintain a high presence of police throughout the school district in the days after the shooting,” Radford said.

Ferguson said she could not thank the officers enough.

“I know many staff members, parents and students have expressed comfort and confidence in the officers’ visible and concerned vigilance,” Ferguson said.

The Adams supervisors next meet at 8 p.m. Monday, at the municipal building on Valencia Road.