Moore Schools’ security reignites debate

On Nov. 10, the Moore County School Board debated school security again.

Member David Hensley said he wanted to increase pay rates to make school resource officers (SRO) the highest paid officers in the county. He said to pay them overtime, not compensation time, and shared facts showing why the district has not been able to hire enough SROs to cover all schools.

Less than 50% of the 22 schools have an SRO.

“The last time this board gave a raise to the SROs it was not recommended by the superintendent,” Member Pauline Bruno said.

In late Aug., Madam Chairman Robin Calcutt selected members for a temporary security committee to review security, and it recommended security reporters without experience or weapons to cover the lapse in coverage. She recommended the North Carolina Protection Group Security Personnel.

Moore Schools is one of two districts with its own police, while 113 other districts use SROs from sheriff departments or municipal departments. View Hensley’s report here.

At the Sep. 23 temporary security committee meeting, SRO Interim Chief Gooch said police officers did not want to work where they were underpaid, did not receive the same benefits as officers working for the county or cities and that social media ridiculed them.

North Carolina law, including G.S. 162-26 and G.S. 162-26.5, allows sheriff’s departments to provide law enforcement officers to schools through agreements with local boards of education. The statutes authorize sheriffs to assign either paid deputies or trained volunteers with prior law enforcement or military experience as school resource officers. Recent legislation, S.L. 2024-1, set statewide standards for SROs: duties, training, and funding responsibilities when assigned to public or private schools.

On Oct. 27, the Policy Committee reviewed Policy 3660/7450, Police Officer Program, focusing on Section L: Special Separation Allowance, because local law enforcement said the lack of benefits was a deterrent for being an SRO.

Superintendent Tim Locklair said the 50% separation allowance was paid after 10 years of service, was controlled by North Carolina General Statutes and employees received 100% after 20 years, and the policy committee will discuss it at the next meeting, which is Nov. 18 at 4:30 at the Central Office.

Vice Chair and Temporary Safety Committee Member Shannon Davis said they were looking at legislation changes to present to the North Carolina General Assembly, but it was not appropriate to discuss during the meeting.

“The safety committee invited the deputy sheriff to come, but you guys talked the whole time and didn’t listen to him. You gave him like five minutes, and he noticed. You should be quiet and listen to the authority,” Bruno said about sitting in on a safety committee meeting.

Board feedback from Hensley’s presentation included:

Since expanding in late 2022, the district has faced statewide SRO recruitment challenges, made harder by rules that prevent hiring probationary school resource officers.

The National Association of School Resource Officers says effective programs create safe learning environments through the SRO’s three roles, educator, mentor, and law enforcement officer.

Moore County Schools Police are required to have the same training as all other law enforcement officers. Review Calcutt’s safety committee’s presentation here.

Interim Chief Gooch meets regularly with local law enforcement leaders, while MCS officers maintain visibility at schools and community events, uphold reporting standards, and work with families to ensure proper reporting of criminal activity.

MCS Police equipment and training decisions are guided by law enforcement professionals and established standards.

All MCS Police Officers complete annual active shooter training and are certified in Behavior Threat Assessment Management, CPR, and Stop the Bleed, while medical response is handled by school nurses and first responders.

“Hand it over to them,” Hensley said about the sheriff stating he would hire the existing SROs and hire more deputies for full coverage.

Member Ken Benway said school security was a whole-government responsibility, and in the same moment, said there was a new threat in America and it needed “to be factored into our mission.”

“This is not a decision-making time,” Calcutt read from her script and announced the upcoming safety meeting on Nov. 24 with Deputy Chief Andy Conway. “We are gonna reach out to our SROs.”

During a brief exchange, Hensley argued SROs did not report crimes, and Locklair said he had not received details on crimes from Hensley on instances when schools had not reported crimes.

Recent conversations between county residents and Sandhills News revealed an event that goes unspoken during school board meetings.

In 2014–2017, former Superintendent Robert Grimesey oversaw lawsuit 20-CVS-001011 with a $200,000 settlement agreement between a Pinecrest High School student and the Moore County Board of Education. The agreement stops both from seeking publicity or publicly implying fault in a sexual assault case involving a former SRO and a student.

The confidentiality clause allows the student to speak privately about her experience and to cooperate with law enforcement.

Confidentiality clauses are permissible but discourage survivors from discussing institutional responsibility, even when the documents are public records.

The confidentiality clause does not constitute a cover-up, according to the agreement.

Broader concerns remain about the district’s hiring and training standards for SROs compared with those from the local sheriff’s office. Because if a school resource officer is employed by the sheriff’s department rather than the school district, settlements or confidentiality agreements would be handled by the sheriff’s office and its insurer, not the school board.

Therefore, the terms and transparency may be different from those used in district agreements, though both agencies are under North Carolina’s public records laws. The sheriff’s office could include a similar confidentiality agreement. Still, the plaintiff’s right to cooperate with law enforcement or testify in court cannot be restricted. In the Pinecrest case, the officer was a district employee, making the school board directly responsible for the settlement terms.

The next school board meeting is Nov. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Central Office. It is a special joint meeting with the Carthage Board of Commissioners and the Moore County Board of Education to discuss the work, progress and status of the proposed replacement of Carthage Elementary School.

Nov. 11, 2025

Stephanie M. Sellers

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