The Hamilton County School Board discussed Sheriff's Department hiring capabilities as well as the separate topic of sensitivity to harassment/discrimination at an agenda meeting on Monday night.
It began during the board’s discussion about grants when board member Tucker McClendon asked about the Safe School grants.
“With the Safe Schools grant, how many school security officers are we up to now?” Mr. McClendon asked. He was told there are eight officers, and the board approved funding that would pay for 10 officers.
Chairman Joe Wingate then said he was going to “muddy the water” and asked for a description of the process of hiring people within the Sheriff’s Department. He asked if there are any new officers “in the pipeline” who are being trained.
“They’re struggling to hire, and I think I saw an email about crossing guards and trying to figure that out in spaces,” Supt. Bryan Johnson said. He told the board that the schools have a different and “robust” approach to recruiting.
“We continue to have a good partnership with them, and we try to collaborate and figure it out. But we have no specific updates at this time.”
Board member Steve Highlander also emphasized how short-handed the Sheriff’s Department is at the moment. He said there are places in the county that would be considered a traffic hazard for crossing, but he did not see a way to remedy this with how the Sheriff’s Department is struggling with manpower.
“In East Brainerd, you’ve got five schools going through an intersection twice a day,” Chairman Wingate said. “And those are two lanes in every direction.”
Board member Rhonda Thurman asked if the school could just hire off-duty police officers, or if the board had to go through the Sheriff’s Department. Superintendent Johnson said the county funding goes toward hiring from the Sheriff’s Department, but that hiring police officers may be a possibility.
“I know several parent officers who have volunteered in the past, and I cannot express how appreciative we are of those volunteer officers who are parents, that we depend on,” board member Highlander said.
Later on, board member Thurman questioned how useful the Title IX and sexual harassment/discrimination policies are for the school board. She asked the board members if the policies are too sensitive, and may be a hindrance in the future.
“People get offended by everything anytime you turn around,” Ms. Thurman said. Another school board member said the regulations are essentially mandated by the federal government. He said the department does not want to get dinged for not having the policy “OCR wants us to have.”
Mr. Highlander then made a muffled remark about the topic, prompting board member Jenny Hill to respond, “I don’t think we should make light of sexual harassment, quite frankly.” Mr. Highlander then said he was not trying to make light of it.
Ms. Hill said, “Rhonda’s point is her opinion and is based on some the experiences of some people she knows. And men making light of an experience of a situation is not helpful to a person who has had an experience where they feel they have been made uncomfortable.”
“My father taught me that when you’re in a hole, stop digging. So we should just stop talking about that now,” Ms. Hill said. Mr. Highlander reiterated that he was not trying to make light of the situation, and apologized for his remarks if they were misinterpreted. Board member Karitsa Jones said she saw “both sides,” and said the topic is a sensitive one.
“It is a sensitive subject for some, so we don’t want to go down that rabbit hole. I feel like historically, we’ve struggled with that as a nine-member body,” Ms. Jones said. “I do understand what Mr. Highlander was trying to do. But because it is a sensitive subject, you do have to be careful about making light of it.”