Bulloch County and local school board officials met Wednesday to discuss final plans to place school resource officers in every public school — starting with Portal Middle/High School.

Currently, there are two SROs at Statesboro High School, one at William James Middle School and Langston Chapel Middle School, and one who covers Southeast Bulloch Middle and SEB High schools. Portal Middle/High is the only high school currently without a school resource officer.

Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown, Bulloch County commissioners and Bulloch County Board of Education members all agree on the importance of having SROs in all the schools. For the past several months, all agencies have been involved in discussions, trying to determine needs and how to fund them.

Bulloch County Schools Superintendent Charles Wilson, BOE Chairman Mike Sparks, Bulloch County Board of Commissioners Chairman Roy Thompson, County Manager Tom Couch and Bulloch County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bill Black met Wednesday to discuss finalization of an agreement between the county and school board to start the ball rolling with the addition of one SRO at Portal Middle/High School. After that, plans are to add an SRO each year to the schools in need. Currently, SROs are needed at Brooklet, Stilson and Nevils elementary schools, Wilson said.

“The plan is to have one SRO at each school, and then ramp it up (by adding one) every year,” Couch said during the meeting. “School resource officers can be really good things. It’s not just security, but a learning element and community policing. It can be a win-win for everybody.”

“I think one a year is an attainable goal,” Black said. “It will take a while to get (new SROs) trained, but this is a realistic goal.”

Plans are to either hire a new deputy or transfer an existing one within the department to Portal Middle/High School as soon as the agreement is official. Thompson said a vote to finalize the agreement is expected in October.

Bulloch County Sheriff Noel Brown had planned to attend the meeting but instead attended the funeral Wednesday of the Ludowici police chief killed in a high-speed chase over the weekend.

Splitting the cost

The cost of the Portal SRO is estimated at around $86,000, with the county and school board “splitting the cost 50/50,” with each governmental body paying around $43,000, Couch said.

This includes benefits and full equipment. The same agreement is expected to cover future SRO additions, except for Statesboro High School, where the cost is split between the city of Statesboro and the BOE.

Statesboro High School is within the city limits, so the city pays half the SRO costs. But Portal being a smaller, rural town with a small population and lower tax base prevents the town from being able to finance an SRO, Couch explained. In light of student safety, “it’s our (Bulloch County’s) responsibility to step in and assist.”

Unincorporated areas need the same safety measures as those in the city limits, Wilson said. With Bulloch County growing in population, it is still a unique blend of progress and rural atmosphere.

“We are rural with metropolitan challenges,” he said.

Sparks said the Bulloch County BOE is “100 percent behind this, committed to doing what we need to do in order to add one SRO a year.”

While Bulloch County has not experienced a school-related tragedy, there is no doubt that the possibility exists, Thompson said.

“It is a shame that we have to do this,” he said. “The world has changed a lot, and we must be prepared to do this. We hope the community appreciates it.”

Filling a need

The agreement between the school board and county is “a partnership that benefits the kids,” Wilson said. “The aspect that law enforcement is willing to work with the BOE is appreciated. I am glad we can express ideas and work together.”

School resource officers establish relationships and serve as first responders, he said.

“They get involved after a line is crossed and a law is broken,” Wilson said.

SROs are not disciplinarians, not part of school administration and will not be involved in everyday disciplinary matters within the school, he said. The SRO program is “a partnership, and the schools will not be a police state.”

Sparks agreed, adding that just knowing a police officer is in the building may deter trouble.

“Law enforcement presence changes the entire dynamics of the school. It changes the mentality — and is really a good thing,” he said. “It gives a school a sense of security.”

Tragedies such as school shootings that have happened in other areas could easily happen here, he said.

“We need the SRO presence to feel children are safe. Plus, there are other emergencies aside from active shooters,” Sparks said.

An SRO’s duties

The Bulloch County Board of Education just hired Todd Mashburn as the school system’s safety director. Mashburn, a professional krav maga instructor who has led the local “Run, Hide, Fight” program geared toward teaching students how to react during an emergency, is just finishing up his last two weeks with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, where he attained the rank of captain.

“Our (the county’s) loss is the school system’s gain,” Couch said, referring to Mashburn.

Wilson said Mashburn’s duties will include “assessment of facilities, to coordinate with public safety, and overseeing training.” Mashburn will report to Wilson, the superintendent, while SROs will report to the sheriff, he said.

SROs will be just like other deputies, but will also be trained in the DARE (drug resistance) program and will teach it in the schools, as well as present programs such as Fatal Vision (DUI education), anti-bullying and safety. SROs will be dual educators and security officers, he said.

Portal’s SRO is a priority because the small town only has two full-time police officers, who are not usually on duty at the same time, he said.

While Brown could not attend the meeting Wednesday due to paying respects at the Ludowici police chief’s funeral, he provided information on the expected duties of a school resource officer.

SROs are “trained to be mentors” and maintain an effort to educate against and to prevent bullying, drug use and gang activity.

They will be “sworn law enforcement officers” who can make arrests and will be in full uniform with a firearm and other equipment such as Tasers and OC spray that can be used in lieu of lethal weapons. They will have full communication with the sheriff’s dispatch and other deputies, and will have restraint devices and bullet-resistance vests like other deputies. When not in service as an SRO, the officers will serve in the capacity of a regular deputy, he said.

Herald reporter Holli Deal Saxon may be reached at (912) 489-9414.