Local Sheriff’s Offices and School Districts are working together to ensure school safety

After concerns rise about school safety following a nationwide increase in virtual and in person threats, local school boards are taking measures to ensure school safety. The Holmes County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and Holmes District School Board (HDSB), as well as Washington County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) and the Washington County School District (WCSD)  have worked together to ensure a safe campus for all schools. 

For several years, School Resource Deputies have been on-campus at every public school in Holmes and Washington Counties and they will continue to be on-campus. 

In addition to SRDs, in Holmes County there are trained School Guardians across the county. School Guardians are a school district or charter school employee or personnel, including teachers, who volunteer to serve as a school Guardian in addition to his or her official job duties. 

The HCSO and WCSO also have K9s trained for gun detection. K9s are handled by School Resource Deputies and are present at the SRD’s assigned school but make regular visits to all schools. The departments also coordinate with the district’s staff and school faculty to provide education and programs to students regarding threats, even those made with no intention, and the potential consequences. 

 Although, due to new school legislation much of the operational planning is protected information and cannot be released to the public. Holmes District Schools and Washington District Schools  want to reassure the public that they take all threats seriously both as group threats and individual threats. 

“We do not release specific information pertaining to these threats in most cases because it muddies the water in terms of any subsequent investigations,” said Holmes County Superintendent Buddy Brown. “We understand the desire for parents and communities to know all details but when dealing with student information and operational security plans we are not at liberty to discuss them publicly.” 

“Safety is our number one priority as we educate and protect our students,” said Safety Director Kim Register.  “Our students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe.” Register also encourages parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts and mobile devices, as many threats and dangers are coming from digital sources in this new age.