The DeKalb County Board of Education adopted a state required Memorandum of Understanding for the state-funded School Resource Officer Program, during their regular monthly meeting last Thursday evening. The MOU serves as the template for the SRO program authorized by Public Chapter 418 of the 113th Tennessee General Assembly and must be executed between a local law enforcement entity (Sheriff’s Department) and the LEA (DeKalb School District) and presented to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security as part of the application process for grant funding.

The MOU is to set forth the obligations of the Parties with respect to the placement of School Resource Officers (SROs) in schools and with respect to planning and funding related thereto for the purpose of providing a law enforcement presence at each school.

“The MOU we have with the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Department is part of the new law the Governor has put in place for support of school resource officers in our county providing one in each school. It has been signed by me, the sheriff, and the county mayor. It is in place and our SROs are already actively working,” said Director of Schools Patrick Cripps.

The DeKalb County School System will continue to have one school resource officer at each school, now funded through a state grant rather than through the county and school board. Sheriff Patrick Ray has requested an additional SRO be funded for DCHS, in order to cover if an SRO is out sick or otherwise unable to work during a school day, though that position is still being discussed by county and school officials.

In other business, the board approved a pay rate adjustment for drivers of school buses on field trips and sports events.

“It’s been a struggle getting bus drivers to run daily routes, but now is the time of the year when we are doing ball trips and field trips and it’s getting harder to find people to do that too,” Cripps explained.

“This starts my ninth year as director and during that time, and even before that, the pay rate has not been adjusted. So, I ask that you consider those increases as we discussed in the workshop so that we don’t have sports teams waiting on a bus and no bus shows,” said Director Cripps.

In his monthly personnel report, Director Cripps reported that the following have been hired since July:

·         Teachers at Smithville Elementary School Bethany Poss, Reagan Owens, Victoria Stanley, Mary Cantrell, Ashley Dugaw, Lesa Davis and April Moore.

·         Alivia Jared as a teacher at DCHS.

·         Cole Dziekiewicz and Colter Norris as a teacher at DeKalb Middle School.

·         Caitlin Fox, Speech – Countywide.

·         Leave of Absence as requested by Misty Agee and Sarah Storey.

·         Resignation/Retirement by teacher Loree Hall at Northside Elementary School.