Cumberland County Schools expects to spend nearly $4.5 million this school year to maintain a layered security network that includes school resource officers, traffic control officers, and unarmed security guards across the district.
The Cumberland County Board of Education approved four school safety agreements on June 9 that are expected to cost approximately $4,473,133 for the 2026-27 school year.
The agreements include about $2.52 million for school resource officer (SRO) coverage through the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, two separate agreements with the City of Fayetteville and its police department for SRO and traffic control services, which are expected to cost approximately $1.7 million combined, and an estimated $260,400 for private, unarmed security through Rough Riders Security LLC.
The Fayetteville City Council previously approved the city’s SRO and traffic control agreements with the school district, though the SRO contract drew debate over transparency, program performance, racial disparities, and the role of police in schools.
The council ultimately approved the agreement 8-2, with Councilmembers Shaun McMillan and Stephon Ferguson opposed.
The four agreements were first considered by the Board of Education’s Auxiliary Services Committee on May 28 before receiving final approval from the full board on June 9.
What the $4.5 Million Includes
The board approved four agreements supporting school safety and security for the 2026-27 school year:
- Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office for approximately $2.52 million to provide 25 school resource officer assignments at schools served by the sheriff’s office during the traditional school year, along with summer coverage. The agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $2.6 million.
- Fayetteville Police Department for approximately $1.7 million combined under two agreements to provide school resource officers and traffic control officers (TCOs) at schools within the city. The SRO agreement provides 18 officers, including nine assigned to high schools, six assigned to middle schools, and three roving officers. The district could not provide a separate reimbursement amount for traffic control services because schedules fluctuate throughout the year.
- Rough Riders Security LLC for an estimated $260,400 to provide licensed, unarmed security officers who rotate among elementary schools across seven security zones. The agreement has a not-to-exceed amount of $450,000, but the district expects scheduled coverage to cost about $260,400 for 31 weeks.
Law Enforcement, Not Disciplinarians
The sheriff’s office agreement lays out what SROs are—and are not—expected to do on campus.
SROs are responsible for maintaining a visible presence, responding to criminal matters, coordinating with school administrators on safety concerns, helping evaluate traffic flow, participating in crime-prevention efforts, and building relationships with students, staff, and families.
The agreement specifically calls for SROs to maintain high visibility in areas where students gather during the school day and where incidents of crime or violence are most likely to occur.
But the agreement also draws a line between law enforcement and ordinary school discipline.
SROs are generally expected to refrain from enforcing school policies or disciplinary rules that do not constitute violations of law, except when intervention is necessary to protect students, employees, property, or the overall safety of the school.
That separation also extends to student searches. Under the agreement, SROs generally are not to participate in searches conducted by school personnel unless there is reasonable suspicion that a criminal act is involved or school officials require law enforcement assistance because of urgent circumstances.
Formal investigations and arrests by law enforcement are governed by applicable legal requirements and Sheriff’s Office policy.
The agreement also states that enforcement of school district policies and its student conduct code is the responsibility of the school principal. It directs administrators not to involve SROs in disciplinary matters that do not constitute violations of law, except when necessary to maintain a safe school environment.
43 SROs Across Cumberland County
The district’s two law enforcement agreements provide a combined 43 SRO assignments through the sheriff’s office and city police department.
The sheriff’s office provides 25 assignments across schools it serves in Cumberland County.
Four deputies are assigned to Jack Britt, Cape Fear, Gray’s Creek, and Pine Forest high schools, while another four serve Gray’s Creek, Pine Forest, John Griffin, and Mac Williams middle schools. The remaining assignments provide coverage at elementary schools and through other designated assignments.
Unlike a flat per-officer reimbursement, the district’s share varies by assignment. Cumberland County School pays 100% of the listed cost for several deputies, 50% for the four middle school assignments, and 85% for several elementary assignments.
Kevin Coleman, associate superintendent of auxiliary services, told committee members that the 25 assignments continue the previous year’s coverage.
Within Fayetteville, the police department provides another 18 officers.
Nine SROs are assigned to Alger B. Wilkins, Douglas Byrd, E.E. Smith, Massey Hill Classical, Ramsey Street, Reid Ross Classical, Seventy-First, Terry Sanford, and Westover high schools.
Six more are assigned to Douglas Byrd, Howard Learning Academy, Max Abbott, Lewis Chapel, Luther “Nick” Jeralds, and Westover middle schools. Three additional officers serve as roving SROs assigned to the police department’s Campbellton, Cross Creek, and Central districts, providing coverage to elementary schools.
Board member Greg West questioned the arrangement during the May committee meeting, recalling concerns about whether Fayetteville police had enough personnel to cover all of the schools within city limits.
Coleman said the three additional officers allowed the department to meet the district’s request.
“This is what we’ve asked of the Fayetteville Police Department, and they’ve been able with those three additional ones to fulfill the contract for us,” Coleman said.
Questioning Where To Assign Crossing Guards
The agreement with the police department also provides TCOs at designated schools during arrival and dismissal. Coleman told committee members there are 66 TCOs serving schools throughout the county.
The number assigned to each campus varies considerably.
Reid Ross Classical and Benjamin Martin Elementary are each designated for four TCOs, while Sherwood Park Elementary has three. Other schools have one or two officers, while several are marked in the agreement as “not needing a TCO at this time.”
That distribution prompted questions from board members during the May meeting.
Board member Deanna Jones questioned why Seventy-First High School had one TCO despite students crossing nearby Raeford Road from McDonald’s.
“I don’t know if that is a sanctioned walking zone from across Raeford Road there,” Coleman responded. “I’m not sure that is a zone deemed a walking zone that would include a TCO there.”
West also pointed to Reid Ross Classical’s four officers while questioning how the assignments were determined.
In a subsequent written response to CityView, Coleman said the N.C. Department of Transportation determines TCO assignments based on traffic engineering and student safety considerations.
The department considers the number of lanes students must cross, traffic volume and flow during arrival and dismissal, roadway design, pedestrian crossings, and overall crossing conditions.
While enrollment can affect pedestrian activity, Coleman said assignments are driven primarily by traffic and crossing safety conditions rather than enrollment alone.
“Regarding FY27 staffing, there are no significant changes to the methodology used to determine TCO assignments,” Coleman said. “Any adjustments in the number or location of TCOs would be based on updated traffic studies, roadway changes, changes in student walking patterns, or recommendations from NCDOT and local law enforcement agencies.”
‘A Different Set of Eyes’
The district is also continuing its use of private, unarmed security officers at elementary schools.
Under its agreement with Rough Riders, guards rotate among elementary schools rather than being permanently stationed at individual campuses.
Coleman told board members the guards cover seven security zones and cost $32 per hour, or approximately $8,400 per week. For 31 weeks of coverage, the district expects to spend $260,400.
Coleman described the guards as another visible set of eyes inside elementary schools.
“They’re visible, they are unarmed, but they have a different set of eyes to look at the safety and security of the building,” Coleman said.
Their use also reflects the limits of the district’s ability to place armed personnel throughout its schools.
“Obviously, we would love to have armed security guards everywhere we go,” Coleman said. “We just can’t find those.”
Instead, Coleman said the district tries to spread its available armed personnel across middle and high schools while supplementing that coverage with unarmed guards at elementary schools.
