Franklin County approves limited school‑resource agreement with Tuscarora amid insurance questions

The Franklin County Commissioners on March 5 approved a limited agreement with Tuscarora School District that lets the county’s sheriff’s office be reimbursed for directed patrols and occasional school security work through the remainder of the 2024–25 school year.

The agreement, as described during the meeting by Sheriff Ben Sites, sets out two distinct pieces: a mechanism to reimburse deputies when the school district requests them for events or supplemental coverage, and a “directed patrol” reimbursement for routine presence in school zones. "It is covered 100% for the first year with a very small carrying cost for licensing each year after that," Sheriff Ben Sites said of a separate grant‑funded purchase discussed earlier; speaking about the SRO agreement he said the district "would have to provide the training to our staff" before the county can supply fully certified school resource officers.

The board debated how the contract would operate in practice and whether county insurance would cover deputies performing duties in schools. According to County staff, the county’s insurer, PCOR, has proposed language that would exclude school resource officers and similar coverage effective June 1; PCOR asked whether the contract could require the school district to accept liability for officers deployed under the agreement. Commissioners discussed amending the agreement to make any statutory SRO/SPO functions contingent on a separate insurance schedule (identified in discussion as a "Schedule B") or limiting immediate reimbursement to the remainder of the school year while the insurance question is resolved.

Under the terms discussed, reimbursable hourly work would be paid at the employee’s hourly rate plus 30% to cover carrying costs. Sheriff Sites described the directed patrol component as a minimum of one presence per school workday, which can be met through split visits (for example, a morning visit at one elementary school and an afternoon visit at another). He told commissioners Tuscarora already employs a full‑time school police officer at its high school and that the district sought the agreement to provide additional, more flexible presence at elementary campuses spread across the county.

A motion to approve the full agreement contingent on the school district accepting liability failed for lack of a second. The commissioners then voted to approve only the directed‑patrol reimbursement through the end of the current school year, limiting county exposure while staff and the insurer seek a final liability arrangement. The board approved the limited funding by voice vote; the transcript records the motion passed on a voice vote but does not list a roll‑call tally.

Commissioners and the sheriff repeatedly framed the agreement as a way to formalize and reimburse activity sheriff deputies say they already perform — checking in at schools, brief walkthroughs and presence during school operations — while preserving the sheriff’s operational priority for county duties if a higher‑priority call arises. Sheriff Sites told the board the training required to serve in a statutory SRO/SPO capacity must be provided by the school district and is a separate step before deputies could function as certified SROs.

The board directed staff to continue discussions with PCOR and the Tuscarora School District to clarify liability language and to return to the commissioners if revised documents or additional changes are needed. The limited approval is effective through the end of the 2024–25 school year as stated in the meeting; commissioners said they expect to revisit the matter once the insurance carrier’s April/June decisions are finalized.

The discussion also noted that the county would receive reimbursement only after required contractual steps and training are documented; sheriff’s staff emphasized the payment mechanism is intended to “make the county whole” for the work deputies already perform.

Ending: The agreement will remain in effect in its limited form until the board receives final insurance guidance and any required revised schedule addressing liability, at which point the commissioners may consider expanding or reauthorizing the arrangement.