Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office are unable to come to terms on the $2 million school resource officer (SRO) contract, so the school system will put the contract out for bid:
Superintendent Don Martin wrote in a Feb. 4 letter to Sheriff Bill Schatzman that although deputies in schools “have formulated wonderful relations with school administrators, staff and students,” the school system has “repeatedly encountered difficulty with FCSO administration of the program.”
“I was surprised by the letter,” Schatzman said last night. “People can say what they want but we perform very well with the resources we have.”
Two of the disputes — whether or not to wand everyone, including athletes and coaches at athletic events, and who should direct traffic at athletic events —– seem pretty minor. The major sticking point is whether or not deputies should be paid for 10 or 12 months —- WSFCS says they shouldn’t have to pay deputies when school isn’t in session.
Possible suitors for the contract are private security firms and the Winston-Salem Police Department.
