Deputy Ralph Lilavois is walking his beat.

Actually, he's walking just one of this -three- beats.

Lilavois is the school resource deputy here at Bunnell Elementary School as well as Rymfire and Old Kings Elementary Schools.

Is it an easy job? “It's hard, it's hectic" says Dep. Lilavois. But, he adds "we work through it. The schools are real open to it so they allow me to leave the campus to go take care of other things at the other schools.”

School Resource Deputies or SRDs are not new to Flagler County.

For the most part they've only been at the two high schools and two middle schools though.

Following the Sandy Hook school shooting, deputies were added to the elementary schools for the remainder of the 2013 school year but the cost to keep them on campus was too great.

Now, the five elementary schools share three SRDs.

The city of Palm Coast helps pay for the positions and the Sheriff's Office has absorbed some of the extra cost as well.

Corporal Jon Welker is the program supervisor for the FCSO. He likes having deputies back in the elementary schools.“We all know as parents those are the formative years. And having us involved during those years will have a huge impact as they move throughout their life.”

Bunnell Elementary School is a unique situation. It's the only school in the county which is surrounded by a neighborhood, meaning four open sides. However, this has actually turned into an advantage.

These are all extra eyes on the campus, eyes which have already worked to call in suspicious vehicles or people hanging around.

Says Richard Dupont, principal at Bunnell Elementary, everyone is “working together. You know, you can't do it alone so you need as many people involved.”

As for Deputy Lilavois, being in the elementary schools is perhaps the most rewarding time he's spent as a deputy. “Being back in the elementary schools it's very...the hugs...everything. It's just so positive so that's what I enjoy.”

While Deputy Lilavois splits his time between three elementary schools, the two other elementary schools are near the middle schools, so those SRDs handle both campuses.