FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — Flagler County parents and local officials have raised concerns regarding the possibility that the district may lose funding for school resource deputies.

This comes after Flagler County Administrator Heidi Petito sent a letter to School Superintendent LaShakia Moore saying they will no longer be able to sustain some “annual legacy expenditures.”

The letter dated Feb. 13, said that based on their records, the county estimated these annual expenditures to be approximately $1.4 million.

Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly reacted to the letter sent a day before the anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018. “Poor timing, number one,” Staly said. “And out of multimillion dollar budgets between the county and the school district, they’re going to risk their kids’ safety over a million dollars. I get it a million dollars is a lot of money. But what’s the price tag that you put on the safety of students in a school?”

School Resource Deputy First Class Nicholas Champion has been working at Flagler Palm Coast High School for three years, and for the last year, he’s also been a handler for K-9 Nitro.

“I’m always excited to come to work. And I’m always here for these kids and they know that. I keep my door open all the time,” Champion said.

He is one of the 15 school resource deputies across Flagler County campuses with a mission to keep students safe.

“We’re not just here as a law enforcement element. We’re here to make those relationships with these kids so that, in my opinion, that stigma of law enforcement, it’s broken here. We start it here. Their first impact with us, with law enforcement, is on this campus,” Champion said.

Champion and Nitro train together using different techniques to keep narcotics from being distributed on campus. “Every single day. On Wednesdays at the agency, we have a full K-9 training. So, when I’m done here working, we go with the rest of the unit,” he said.

They do random sweeps during the day, using Nitro as a tool to make the school safer for students, faculty, staff and visitors. “It’s a huge deterrent. It’s also another safety measure to keep this campus and all the other campuses safe from any weapons or any contraband on campus. So, our goal is your child should come here for a safe learning environment,” Champion said.

In the letter, Petito wrote that these expenditures, which include the cost of the resource deputies, were not directly aligned with the county’s strategic plan or mandated by state statute.

“While we deeply value the contributions these expenditures have made to our schools in the past, we must prioritize our resources to ensure that they are used most effectively to support the goals outlined in our strategic plan.” Petito wrote. “Additionally, as stewards of taxpayer dollars, we have a responsibility to ensure that our spending is in line with the needs of our community and the requirements set forth by state law.”

Staly said he is concerned about the implications of this decision.   

“If the county says we’re not going to fund it, and the school district says we are not going to fund it, then they’re defunding law enforcement in this county. I don’t think it’s going to come to that, but I’m not going to let political decisions impact the safety of our students,” Staly said.

In a statement, Flagler County Schools said they are open to talk with the county about this decision.

“Our partnership with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Department and Flagler County Government is pivotal when it comes to our children’s future and preparing the next generation of Flagler County. Doing all we can to safeguard our students and our teachers, as well as the staff which supports the mission of Flagler County Schools, is a top priority,” Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said. “School Resource Deputies are part of the solid foundation of each of our schools, providing not only security for our students, but leadership examples that are vital in raising our young men and women.”

Carmen Stanford has a daughter who is a student at Flagler Palm Coast High School. After learning about the letter, Stanford reached out to parents in social media, finding out many others were concerned about safety too. “This is probably the single issue that all parents agree on. And we can come together. Everyone wants to make sure that our resource deputies remain on campus.”

Champion said he is confident Staly will keep school resource deputies in their current positions. “I believe in the sheriff’s mission. And I think he’s made it clear that he wants us on these campuses, and he wants us to continue the job.”

Flagler County Commission Chair Andy Dance said because the county is in the middle of its budget season, they are looking through the opportunities and constraints they have to work things out.  

“We’ve had an ongoing discussion for two years or more about trying to sit down and work this out. But the school district hasn’t been responsive. And then right now is an opportunity to have that discussion,” Dance said.

He said the next step in the process will be to have a meeting between the county administrator and the school superintendent to discuss funding. 

“In this discussion, if there are no opportunities, then we’re back to where we are now. I think the county is committed to not interfering with the level of service and keeping it where it is. Safe schools are the top priority, but we just want an opportunity to sit, have our two executives sit down and have a discussion about the funds,” Dance said.

The meeting between Moore and Petito will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 28.