- April 18, 2024
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Flagler Schools will have a total of 13 school resource deputies this coming year, including one at each school and two at the district's two high schools.
The memorandum of understanding the School Board unanimously approved between Flagler Schools and the Flagler County Sheriff's Office May 15 will mean that the district will be in compliance with Florida Senate Bill 7026, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which legislators passed after the Parkland shooting. The legislation requires that school safety officers be present in every school in the state.
"Sheriff Rick Staly is an important partner in keeping our campuses safe," Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager said after the School Board's vote. "We all understand the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act is a good first step. Yet, at the same time, we also understand there is still much work to be done to ensure the spirit of that act is fully funded. I am confident that by working together with Sheriff Staly, as well as all our law enforcement partners, we can make that happen.”
Under the district's new agreement with the Sheriff’s Office, the district will pay half the cost for nine deputies, a sergeant and unit commander for a total cost of $696,004, which does not include overtime, according to a school district news release. The agreement also funds nine school crossing guards at a total cost of $92,938. The city of Palm Coast is funding one of the school resource deputy positions, so that the district to can place a deputy at each of its five elementary schools and two middle schools, and two deputies at the high schools, plus a sergeant and a unit commander. The county will be paying the remaining costs.
The agreement goes into effect July 1 and ends June 30, according to the news release.
