Minutes 11-07-2019 Regular Meeting

Browse Search

30 offer alternatives to many families. She said the ERA Board approved 100% funding for this SRO position, and this is the type of precedent that the Board of County Commissioners should want to set: valuing child safety, and being fiscally responsible. Brad Tapper, ERA Board member, said he is an advocate for the SRO as safety is a top concern, and is near and dear to his heart. He said earlier the BOCC spoke about safety concerns and wanting rumble strips on the road, and now ERA is asking for the same thing: safety at the school. He said ERA will fund this position completely, and is asking the BOCC to put ERA students on a level playing field with everyone else. Sheriff Blackwood said the County currently does not have an SRO at the school. He said his department has been encouraged by the school to walk through the halls to identify safety concerns. He said since 2017 there have been a total of 463 calls to the school involving suspicious activity, response to alarms, locked keys in cars, minor crashes, etc. He said the position would be fully funded by ERA, and would cost $70,069. He said the decision tonight is not whether or not to assign an SRO to the school, as he plans to do this anyway. He said the decision tonight is whether the Board will offer him an opportunity to get an FTE for him to offset this SRO, which will be paid for by the school. He said he hopes the Board will concur that leaving a school without an SRO is a bad decision, and he also hopes the Board would not force him to diminish his services in other areas to fulfill this important need. Commissioner Price asked if the school funds this position for a year, and then decides it no longer wants the SRO, would the person be out of work. Sheriff Blackwood said yes, it would be a one-year contract with that person. Commissioner Price asked if this would be a person who is already serving on the Sheriff’s staff, and would this person have a job if the school no longer wants the services. Sheriff Blackwood said, no the person would not have a job at the end of the contract, should ERA not want to renew the contract. He said the school has new construction, and he anticipates ERA may want to increase the number of officers there. Commissioner McKee said it is a question of equity, and SROs are being provided in other schools. He said his concern is the safety of the children, regardless of where they attend school. Commissioner Greene said the Board previously discussed this, and asked if the Board provides SROs for all of the charter schools in the County. Commissioner Bedford said no, and asked if other charter schools have high schools. Commissioner McKee said other schools have not requested a SRO, nor agreed to pay for one. Commissioner Bedford said the County provides SROs at the taxpayer’s expense, to all schools in the Orange County School district. She said Orange County Schools pays the County back for these positions. Bonnie Hammersley said the schools pay for the SROs, and the Sheriff’s office is reimbursed. Commissioner Greene said she is not opposed to this position as the Sheriff is responding to ERA with frequency already. She said there is a difference between a fully public school and a charter school. Sheriff Blackwood said he understands the distinction, and knows the BOCC is concerned with the safety of all students in Orange County. Commissioner Dorosin said there is a larger issue of SRO‘s in general. He said the Board should have a broader conversation about having them in any schools, as studies question SRO effectiveness. He said children in schools with SROs are more likely to be arrested for non-serious, non-violent crimes; and videos show SRO misconduct. He said if there are security concerns, the schools should address them with security officers that do not have the authority to arrest, and he hopes for a broader conversation. He said if the BOCC does continue to support the use of SROs, there should be memorandums of understanding