Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves school resource officer for Old Fort Elementary under local-school grant
Summary
The McDowell County commissioners approved accepting a grant to fund a school resource officer dedicated to Old Fort Elementary. The grant covers $44,000 of salary; remaining salary costs will be split between McDowell County Schools and the sheriff's office.
The McDowell County Board of Commissioners voted March 10 to accept a grant to fund an additional school resource officer (SRO) to be assigned to Old Fort Elementary School.
Sheriff (unnamed in the record) told commissioners that McDowell County Schools had approved the grant and offered the position to the sheriff’s office. “This 1 to be dedicated to Old Fort Elementary School,” the sheriff said, noting the county currently partners with the schools to fund seven SRO positions. He described SROs as “front line communicators” who help build relationships and can deter threats and respond quickly to emergencies.
The sheriff said the grant covers $44,000 of the officer’s salary; the remaining salary would be shared between the school system and the sheriff’s budget. Commissioners asked whether the town of Old Fort expected the SRO to answer off-campus calls; the sheriff said assigned officers are primarily focused on the school but can respond to nearby emergencies when necessary.
A commissioner moved to approve acceptance of the SRO grant; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote. County leaders said the arrangement follows prior SRO partnerships and that the grant has no sunset and has been treated similarly to earlier awards.
Why it matters: The additional officer increases the county’s dedicated school coverage and is funded initially through school-district grant dollars, reducing the county’s up-front cost; commissioners acknowledged the county will assume recurring costs over time if the grant continues only for a finite period.
What the record shows: The sheriff asked commissioners to support approval and the board voted in favor. The meeting transcript does not show a named mover or a recorded roll‑call tally; the motion was adopted by voice vote.
