The Hamilton County school board has approved hiring school security officers for some campuses despite reservations from the sheriff, who said he would rather see the district arm teachers or school staff members instead.
Sheriff Jim Hammond told the board Thursday night he believes the school district and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office are on the same page as far as ensuring the safety of the county’s students but that he’s not in favor of the board’s idea.
“I think we are missing a valuable resource in being able to fill that stop-gap and at the same time not ruining your budget,” he said. “I do believe there is law that supports the idea that you can train teachers to do that job.”
The board has been exploring options to increase security at local schools despite ongoing school resource officer staffing struggles.
Board member Tucker McClendon, of District 8, first proposed hiring off-duty law enforcement officers or private security officers last October.