Newton County approves MOU with Newville ISD for school resource officer and adds patrol position

Newton County Commissioners on Oct. 1 approved a memorandum of understanding with Newville Independent School District to provide a school resource officer (SRO) paid by the district and authorized the sheriff's office to add a patrol deputy to replace the position while it serves the schools.

The court voted to accept the MOU after Sheriff’s office staff and county commissioners described a short pilot in which a deputy was assigned to district campuses for about two months and received positive feedback from deputies and school officials. County staff said the district will fully fund the SRO position and reimburse the county for the time the deputy is assigned to school duties, including coverage for after-school events.

Sheriff’s office representatives told the court the county will retain patrol capacity by adding a new deputy position rather than reducing current patrol staffing. Commissioners asked county staff to confirm the timing and accounting for reimbursements and to detail how the replacement position would be funded in the coming budget cycle. The court made the motion to approve the MOU and the additional patrol position and approved both by voice vote.

Court members discussed operational details such as event coverage when multiple schools have simultaneous activities and who is responsible for arranging substitutes if the assigned deputy is unavailable. The commissioners emphasized that the district must arrange staffing and be responsible for any short-term absences of the SRO.

The court recorded no dissenting roll-call votes in the record; motions were made and seconded on the floor and approved by voice vote. The court did not adopt any written amendment to the MOU at the meeting; commissioners directed staff to follow up on reimbursement timing and budget placement.