Government officials throughout Cumberland County got a troublesome surprise after Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright notified them of his plans to pull the majority of school resource officers and crossing guards from local public schools.
In a May 21 letter to Fayetteville Police Chief Kemberle Braden, Wright wrote, “Effective July 1, 2024, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office will be assigning Deputies only to schools located within the unincorporated areas of Cumberland County.”
The change means in municipalities like Fayetteville, Spring Lake and Hope Mills, local officials will have to scramble to find replacements for 18 school resource officers and 31 crossing guards, according to a presentation for school board members prepared by Associate Superintendent of Auxiliary Services Kevin Coleman. The school system currently has 15 school resource officer vacancies, the presentation states.
According to Coleman’s presentation, Wright notified the school system at the same time as local government officials with a letter on May 21. That may be in violation of the school board’s agreement with the sheriff’s office, which says a decision on whether to renew the agreement must be made by April 15 each year.
School resource officers are not employed by the school board; they are employees of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office contracts with the school board on an annual basis to assign its deputies as school resource officers and crossing guards.
This school year’s agreement between the school board and Wright’s office began July 1, 2023, and will end June 30, according to the contract. The Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office has provided school resource officers to the county’s public schools for more than two decades, school board records show.
School resource officers “promote a safe and secure environment” in public schools and assist with conflict resolution, safety and violence prevention programming and community outreach, the contract between the board and the sheriff’s office states.
It’s unclear why Wright decided to terminate the longstanding relationship with Cumberland County Schools. Public information officers for the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.
Lindsay Whitley, the associate superintendent of communications and community engagement for Cumberland County Schools, told CityView the school system will also participate in an upcoming meeting with elected officials about the decision.
“We look forward to collaborating with our law enforcement partners to learn more about these changes and ensure continuous and effective security coverage at our schools, prioritizing the safety of our students and staff,” Whitley wrote.
Wright will meet with local officials at 2:30 p.m. June 6 at the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office to discuss the change, according to letters sent to Braden and Spring Lake Police Chief Errol Jarman. At least 50 schools in Fayetteville, seven schools in Hope Mills and three schools in Spring Lake will be affected, Coleman’s presentation states.
As municipalities work to find a solution, the school system will put out a request for proposals for potential third-party security options out of “an abundance of precaution,” according to Coleman’s presentation.
This school year, the Cumberland County Board of Education paid the sheriff’s office at least $3.2 million for school resource officers, the contract shows. The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners’ draft budget for the coming fiscal year proposes providing the school system with $5.3 million for additional school resource officers, crossing guards and school nurses.
Some elected officials have been speaking out on social media about the decision. Hope Mills Commissioner Elyse Craver wrote in a May 24 Facebook comment, “We all pay county taxes and it is the county’s responsibility to take care of this situation. They also own all the schools within these municipalities. If they don’t have the personnel, as they are saying, why not try to partner with Ft. Liberty to see if they have police that could handle this for them … Again, it is a county problem, not Hope Mills’. We don’t have the manpower either.”
Hope Mills Mayor Jessie Bellflowers said he would be calling a special meeting for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Hope Mills Town Hall to discuss the situation.
“Our public hearing for the FY 24-25 Town Operating Budget is Monday, June 3,” Bellflowers wrote on Facebook. “This situation, including funding, must be addressed BEFORE the adoption of the budget in June.”
Spring Lake Commissioner Raul Palacios indicated he was unhappy with the change, commenting with a red flag emoji on Hope Mills Commissioner Joanne Scarola’s Facebook post about the special meeting and writing, “It’s about to get interesting.”
“[Y]ou guys are in the same hole we’re in,” Scarola replied.
Reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at lsolomon@cityviewnc.com or 910-423-6500.
This story was made possible by contributions to CityView News Fund, a 501c3 charitable organization committed to an informed democracy.
