The Craig County School Board approved a memorandum of understanding with the Craig County Sheriff’s Office establishing a school-law enforcement partnership for the 2026-27 school year during its Sept. 8 meeting.
The agreement is intended to promote mutual respect and understanding between Craig County Public Schools and the Sheriff’s Office while supporting positive school climates and safe, secure school environments.
Under the memorandum, the two organizations will coordinate efforts involving school safety, crime prevention, law-related education, conflict reduction and interventions for students.
The agreement emphasizes that most student misconduct should be addressed through classroom and in-school strategies, with appropriate redirection and support considered before suspension, expulsion, law enforcement involvement or referral to court.
The Sheriff’s Office will designate a point of contact to address operational and administrative matters and consult on school safety, security assessments and critical incident response planning. The office will also oversee the selection, assignment, scheduling, training, supervision and evaluation of school resource officers, while considering input from school personnel and school needs.
The school division will designate its own point of contact and support communication between school staff and school resource officers. The MOU states that school administrators and teachers are responsible for school discipline and that law enforcement is not to be involved in disciplinary action unrelated to criminal activity or a risk of harm.
School resource officers will assist with school safety, security, crisis planning, crime prevention and law-related education. The agreement also calls for efforts to reduce student involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems and divert youth from courts when possible.
The memorandum outlines separate procedures for student interviews, searches, arrests and physical intervention. School administrators will handle questioning related to school code-of-conduct violations that do not involve criminal activity or a risk of harm, while SROs will lead investigations involving suspected violations of criminal law.
The partnership will be evaluated through jointly developed measurable objectives using discipline, crime, violence, school climate and other relevant data. Progress is to be reviewed at least annually and shared with the public.
The MOU also calls for annual review and quarterly meetings between designated representatives of the school division and Sheriff’s Office. It will remain in effect until either party withdraws with 45 days’ written notice.
-The New Castle Record