Norwich — A retired city police officer and former campus safety officer at Norwich Free Academy will become the new attendance officer for Norwich Public Schools, Superintendent Kristen Stringfellow announced Friday.

Edwin Peckham will be responsible for investigating allegations of residency issues and will work with school principals to visit homes to try to boost attendance and on-time school arrival. Peckham’s position is budgeted at $58,000 per year in the general fund school budget.

“We aspire to provide each student a rigorous, effective teaching and learning environment where equity is the norm, excellence is the goal, student health and safety is assured,” Stringfellow said in a news release announcing Peckham’s appointment Friday. “With limited resources (both fiscal and human), we need to ensure those resources are being allocated on behalf of Norwich residents, as well as doing everything possible to ensure students are supported to attend school every day.”

Peckham had been an NFA campus safety officer for the past 3½ years and spent 23 years as a Norwich police officer, retiring in 2015.

In the news release, Peckham said of his new position: “It’s about working with people to create greater compliance with the law.”

Residents can submit an anonymous tip regarding student residency or attendance online at norwichpublicschools.org or by phone at (860) 823-5015, option 3.