Scottsboro approves shared full-time school resource officer position

The Scottsboro City Council approved adding one full-time school resource officer for the city’s schools on July 13, with the City of Scottsboro and Scottsboro City Schools agreeing to split the cost equally.

The action creates one new full-time SRO position. Council President Richard Bailey said the city and school system would hire another full-time officer and divide the expense on a 50-50 basis.

That arrangement gives each entity responsibility for half of the position’s cost. The school system will not have to carry the entire expense, while the city will share the financial responsibility for maintaining regular school-based law enforcement coverage.

What the position is intended to provide

Bailey said the goal is to have an officer present consistently at the school. The stated rationale combines regular on-site coverage with a lower cost for the school system than paying for the position alone.

For students, parents and school employees, the intended practical change is a consistently assigned officer serving Scottsboro city schools. The arrangement is focused on schools within the city of Scottsboro, rather than a separate Jackson County community.

The council’s action is a staffing and funding decision. It is intended to provide more consistent coverage, but the approval itself does not guarantee a particular change in school safety outcomes.

What happens next

The next known step is to carry out the plan to hire the additional full-time officer and put the shared-cost arrangement into effect. The city and school system are expected to contribute 50% each.

The approval does not by itself confirm that the officer has started working in the schools. WAFF’s account did not identify the officer’s name, a start date, the annual salary, benefits, contract term or total city appropriation. It also did not identify which specific school campus or campuses would receive the assignment.

The decision was made by the Scottsboro City Council. The City of Scottsboro’s official council page lists City Hall at 316 S. Broad Street in Scottsboro and identifies Richard Bailey as council president.

For the school system, the shared structure places half of the financial burden with the city while pursuing continuous school-based coverage. For the city, the agreement adds a joint responsibility for funding the new position.