New Milford State Representative Bill Buckbee is leading the call to use federal resources from the American Rescue Plan Act to create a grant program that would help Connecticut towns hire additional school resource officers.  Buckbee wrote a letter to Governor Lamont to formally request the matching grant program be established.  He says with a historically large budget surplus right now, the flexibility to apply ARPA dollars, and in light of the Texas elementary school shooting, it's time for swift action.  New Milford is looking to hire 3 new armed security guards for the schools. According to Buckbee, his proposed grant program will allow municipalities  who may not be able to afford it, to hire SROs.  He says while they are obviously the first line of defense in an emergency, SROs also serve as role models to the students and can address mental and behavioral health problems.