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The school year is under way, but in Hancock County there is no formal agreement in place to provide Prevention Resource Officers to several county schools.
To their credit, the Hancock County Sheriff's Department and county commission are still assigning deputies at Allison Elementary, New Manchester Elementary, Oak Glen Middle, Oak Glen High, and the John D. Rockefeller IV Career Center. A sixth deputy is available as a "rover" to be used where needed.
Both the county commission and the county school board want an agreement in place, but commissioners have expressed concern over the way funding is allotted to cover the program's costs.
Quite frankly, this is something that comes up every few years as grant funding has become less available and governmental entities opt to take a closer look at their available funding.
At one point, grants covered most, if not all, of the costs of placing a law enforcement officer in a school. As more schools began applying for these funds, and the state and federal governments began programming funds for other uses, the available money has decreased significantly resulting in local funds being relied upon more.
The City of Weirton has its own agreement with the Hancock County Board of Education, providing officers to Weirton Elementary, Weir Middle and Weir High.
Disagreements last year unfortunately ended the partnership between the Brooke County Board of Education and Brooke Commission. School officials there have since worked out other arrangements.
Ultimately, the PRO program is about providing safety and security for our youth. Officials in Hancock County realize that and are willing to work together to find a resolution, which we hope comes soon just to make sure everything is formalized.