Northern Lehigh School District soon hopes to have a law enforcement presence districtwide.

As an initial step in that direction, the school board on Monday unanimously agreed to advertise for a school police officer.Jeff Bachman, technology coordinator, said the district would like to bring whoever is chosen for the position on board for this school year.That person will be proactive, and deal with issues such as truancy and summary type offenses, primarily at the secondary level, according to Michele Dotta, director of special education.In September, Superintendent Michael Michaels asked the board to consider applying for the Safe School Initiative Grant to derail an increase in behavioral problems.Michaels said at that time that if the district were to receive the grant, it could be used to hire a school resource officer, or for safety equipment.Bachman said the district should hear whether or not it will get the grant within the next few days.He previously said the district had concerns from a safety perspective over increased incidents it has observed at the high school.The potential grant would provide up to $60,000 for a school resource officer, or $25,000 toward programs that address school safety and violence, Bachman said.In June, the district received a $9,000 grant from the Center for Safe Schools, which bought the district 22 new cameras for the high school.Directors recognizedAlso on Monday, the board adopted a resolution recognizing January as School Board Director Recognition Month.Michaels lauded the nine directors who make up the board.Michaels said that in addition to their responsibilities as board members, they also take time to volunteer and make other contributions behind the scenes."They just do an outstanding job for the students," Michaels said.