Safety director outlines expanded safety plan, MOUs with law enforcement and plans for four school safety officers

Jeff Caesar, the district’s safety director, told the Jefferson County Schools board he has built a safety task force with local law-enforcement partners and is moving to hire additional staff to keep schools secure. "We built a bridge with all of our law enforcement partners," Caesar said, describing MOUs with the sheriff's office, municipal police departments, state police and the FBI and plans to use Jefferson County Parks & Recreation facilities as reunification sites.

Caesar said the district aims to maintain top-down coverage so school resource officers remain at high schools while middle-school safety officers float between schools. He tied planned hires to state requirements and local funding: the district is implementing internal digital mapping referenced during the meeting as "house bill 3166" and is working toward school safety officer placements referenced as "house bill 2164," and he said the levy will support the four safety-officer positions. Board members asked about voting membership on the district's safety board and whether the West Virginia State Police and Shepherdstown police participate; Caesar said voting membership is limited to agencies with jurisdiction over district schools and that the Jefferson County sheriff's office holds primary jurisdiction for Shepherdstown-area schools.

The presentation was framed as part of a five-year safety plan; Caesar said his short-term focus is establishing relationships, the MOUs and staffing needed to respond as the district grows. The board thanked Caesar for the work and expressed support; no formal action was taken during the presentation.