McDONALD, Pa. -- The Fort Cherry school board voted Monday to allow a police officer to arm himself with a gun on the small, rural school district's campus.

Officer Harold Purdy has patrolled Fort Cherry for the past 12 years, armed only with mace and a billy club. Starting in the 2008-09 school year, he will carry a gun too.

There's rarely any serious trouble at Fort Cherry, where the junior and senior high schools, elementary school and administrative offices are all on one campus, high atop a hill with a clear view of pastures from the classrooms.

"We haven't had any problems here, but the balance is going more from safety to security," Superintendent Dr. Robert Dinnen said.

The move to armed officers is a precaution that all schools -- even those as secluded and safe as Fort Cherry -- must now consider, Dinnen said.

"About 8 months ago, we put together a committee for safety at the schools. A lot of it was precipitated by the rash of school shootings (in other cities)," Dinnen said. "From that, we had the state police put together a report for us that the police officer carry a gun."

Most people in the community know Purdy, who also works part-time for the McDonald Police Department.

"I've known him for a long time and he's very capable," Fort Cherry parent Terry Ersek said.

Parents who spoke to WTAE Channel 4 Action News reporter Marcie Cipriani said they had no concerns about their children being on campus with an armed officer.

"What good is having a police officer and security guard here without something to defend them if something big would happen at the school?" parent Karen Dunks said.

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