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Dear Editor,

By Staff | Jul 26, 2023

The Tyler County Board of Education wraps their press release up with statements of regret, the stress of time urgency, and ultimatums of âtaking (the BOEs) concerns seriouslyã if the Board of Education and Sheriffás Department were to work the concerns out. After taking the BOEás statement paragraph by paragraph, and assessing its words with logical reasoning, we can review stated concerns as follow:

1. The BOE wants âoversight and control overã the SROs, which is legally impossible and professionally irresponsible.

2. The BOE wants to determine âwho is placed in our facilities as SROs and in which facility they would serveã, but do not possess the qualifications to do so.

3. There have either been instances of a.) âinappropriate behaviorã and âharassmentã that have been mishandled by the BOE, or b.) âconcernsã being mislabeled as âinappropriate behaviorã and âharassmentã that once brought to the Sheriffás Department, did not yield the desired outcome of an officer change/relocation. Problems that either need to be brought to the attention of the State Police or concerns that need to be covered in a revised contract making such undesirable behaviors actions subject to termination.

4. Concerns of additional duties outside the parameters of those delegated to SROs. Reallocate vast oil and gas funds toward hiring ADDITIONAL, civilian guards to execute the positions of crossing guard, traffic control, and field trip chaperone.

I attended the last BOE meeting and spoke to the grave importance of not only having an SRO on school grounds, but also the critical difference between a SRO and a guard. I ended my statement with 4 questions, all of which the BOE refused to answer.

I, along with a silent group who fear speaking out on this subject, plea with the public to understand the very real concern here, to see the truth hidden in the BOEás beautifully designed, misleading statement, and to show up to the Board meetings to make your opinion heard. Guards, regardless of prior work history, cannot carry out the duties of law enforcement officers nor can officers outside of the Tyler County Sheriffás Department be granted jurisdiction in our school systems. No one, other than a law enforcement officer, can initiate an investigation into a crime against a child. The consequences of such a rash decision will lay in the laps of our children and the faculty of the Tyler County School System if the board is unwilling to forgo making ultimatums and allow a cooperative effort in finding a gravely needed solution to this issue.

Yours Sincerely,

Taylor Clem Rosenlieb

Sistersville, WV