Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Resource Officers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Henry County approves updated SRO memorandum of understanding with Board of Education
Summary
The Henry County Board of Commissioners approved an updated memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Henry County Board of Education on July 15 to clarify communications, limited information access for after-hours responses and a requirement for a transition plan within 12 months.
The Henry County Board of Commissioners on July 15 approved an updated memorandum of understanding with the Henry County Board of Education that clarifies communications, limits access to certain critical information for after-hours threat response and requires a transition plan to be presented within 12 months.
County Manager Sherry Matthews introduced the resolution, saying the agreement updates a 2022 arrangement and “lays out a little bit more specifically” a layered communications pathway so disputes or issues between schools and law enforcement can be handled collaboratively. Ashley, a county manager’s office staff member who presented details, told the board the current staff allocation for the program is 38 SRO-specific positions, 45 crossing guards and one administrator, with 13 SRO openings and 10 crossing-guard vacancies.
A police department representative answered questions about officers’ assignments after a transition. “The ones that stay here ... we will get with Chief Ireland, our Deputy Chief Smith ... and those ... would probably do is be absorbed into positions that are open inside of the department now,” the representative said. The MOU calls for an agreed transition plan to be presented within 12 months of signing; Ashley said the language is intended to give the county leverage to press for a plan and to aid police planning.
Board members asked how the county will enforce the timeline and what happens to officers who do not move to school police; presenters said the MOU language and the county’s ability to press the Board of Education for a plan provide the leverage. The board moved and approved the resolution with no recorded roll-call votes in the public transcript.
The MOU will remain in effect under the terms presented; the board did not adopt additional enforcement language on the public record at the meeting. The county manager and police department representatives said they will oversee the transition planning and staffing decisions.
The board’s approval was made during the July 15 regular meeting and followed public questions and departmental discussion. The MOU itself will be available through county administrative records once the agreement is signed and any administrative documents required by the county are completed.
