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Durham County Sheriff, DPS sign renewed SRO MOU as deputies report falling referrals and more resource links
Summary
The Durham Public Schools Board adopted a memorandum of understanding with the Durham County Sheriff—s Office to continue the district—s School Resource Officer (SRO) program; sheriff and deputies emphasized training, decriminalization and referrals to community services.
The Durham Public Schools Board of Education on June 26 approved a memorandum of understanding with the Durham County Sheriff—s Office to continue the district—s School Resource Officer program.
The MOU was approved unanimously after a 30-minute presentation and discussion with Sheriff Birkhead and SRO staff, who described training, referral outcomes and the program—s emphasis on avoiding criminalization of student behavior. "We—re not there to criminalize behavior," Sheriff Birkhead said, adding that deputies rely on schools— administrators and counselors for disciplinary decisions.
The agreement continues SRO coverage at five high schools, nine middle schools and two specialty schools. Sheriff Birkhead told the board his office has a staffing allocation of 26…
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