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BEAUFORT COUNTY, N.C. (WNCT) — Students in Beaufort County Schools were welcomed back this week with help from the sheriff’s office.
Deputies served as School Resource Officers throughout schools in the district. They’re replacing a third party police force used for the past three years.
There are 13 deputies, meaning each school in the district gets one. On the first day of school, SROs were seen greeting students at car rider lines, giving them high fives and tying their shoes in the hallways.
Having the local sheriff’s office provide school security has been a work in progress since winter.
“To be honest, there’s nothing better than your local sheriff’s department being able to provide school resource officers into our schools each and every day,” Beaufort County Schools Superintendent Dr. Matthew Cheeseman said. “And through that, you’ll see them out at our athletic contests, extracurricular activities and so let’s celebrate them as they celebrate and protect our students and staff. Perfect.”
In order to become a SRO, a 40-hour SRO certification programs has to be completed. During that training, school security is practiced in addition to courses on ethics and leadership.
Each SRO is a sworn police officer and is armed. They’ll be making sure buildings are secure, alarm systems are working, doors are not propped and students and staff feel safe.