It's uncommon not to see school resource officers inside education facilities in this day and age. The extra safety could be removed from three Loudon County Schools this upcoming school year.
Loudon Elementary, Ft. Loudon Middle and Loudon High Schools are all located in the Loudon city limits. The city pays for two SROs in those three county schools.
The city of Loudon said they are in a pinch. They want the school board to offer a bigger reimbursement to help cover security expenses.
The recent request asks for $30,000 extra annually, meaning the county's total annual reimbursement to the city for SROs would be more than $59,000.
The city of Loudon said, counting salary and benefits, it costs $150,000 combined to employ the two school officers each year.
"The school resource officers, when school starts, will be in the school. But, they are subject to being pulled out of the schools once city council meets again," said Loudon City Manager Lynn Mills.
"I'm a little surprised, just to be honest," said Loudon County School Director Jason Vance. "I thought we were going to be able to work through this for one more year and look at the plans in the future, but I'm certainly willing to work with anybody and make sure we're providing a safe environment for our students."
The city is asking parents to reach out to county commissioners and school board members. The next city council meeting is August 20.