ALBANY, Ore.--Greater Albany Public Schools announced Wednesday they are putting a pause on having police officers welcome students on their first day back to school.

Superintendent Melissa Goff said in a statement this decision comes after some parents raised concerns they had with police officers on campus. She said the pause is to make all students feel welcome and included at their schools. However, Goff said firefighters will still be allowed to welcome students. 

This decision is not sitting well with other parents in the school district. Some expressed their disapproval on social media saying the district made a bad decision to stop the tradition of having officers welcoming students to campus.

Goff also clarified rumors going around social media the district canceled their contract with the Albany Police Department to have School Resource Officers. She said that's not true. According to Goff, the police department went to the district and notified them APD could not afford School Resource Officers for the time being.  

"Sometime in May, we should have a good idea of where our budget stands," Harnden said. "If the SRO positions remain in our budget, we will want to talk further about what that may look like and get you all engaged in the selection of new SRO’s moving
forward."