The Fox C-6 School District has increased the presence of Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputies this school year in the portion of the district in unincorporated Jefferson County.
Fox C-6 has 12 schools in the unincorporated portion of the county and five inside the Arnold city limits.
Prior to a new deal with the Sheriff’s Office reached earlier this school year, there was only one deputy assigned as a school resource officer for the county schools. In Arnold, there are three police officers serving as SROs.
The district’s new deal with the Sheriff’s Office has a deputy stationed at Antonia Middle School and Ridgewood Middle School in the Fenton area when deputies are available. The Sheriff’s Office SROs also cover the county’s elementary schools.
Tammy Cardona, assistant superintendent for secondary schools, said a deputy has been stationed at Antonia Middle for 26 days and at Ridgewood Middle for 19 days since the new deal was put in place last fall.
“So far the off-duty deputies’ presence at our schools has been extremely beneficial,” Superintendent Paul Fregeau said. “When I visit the buildings and talk to the officers, as well as school staff, both indicate how well it is going. The deputies are having great conversations with students and staff alike. School staff and students feel safer and more protected with a law enforcement person on campus.”
Marc Gibson
Deputy Marc Gibson had been the only SRO for Jefferson County schools for the past seven years. He typically is stationed at Seckman High School in Imperial, which shares a campus with a middle and elementary school.
Arnold Police started providing the Fox district with three SROs in June 2023 after voters approved a 1-cent sales tax increase in April 2023 to help cover the cost of running the Police Department.
Kevin Wilson
Prior to the sales tax approval, Officer Kevin Wilson was the only SRO provided to the district’s schools in Arnold. After the sales tax was approved, Josh Crites and Mike Prusinowski were added as SROs for the district schools in Arnold.
Sheriff’s Office
Board of Education members agreed in October to pay the overtime rate of $70.96 per hour for each additional deputy who is assigned SRO duties. The additional deputies will serve as SROs on their days off.
At the time, Fregeau said the district would pay just more than $129,000 for deputies to be at the county middle schools if an SRO is available every day for the rest of the current school year.
“Because this is an overtime assignment, any commissioned deputy is eligible to work this assignment,” said Lt. Col. Tim Whitney, the undersheriff. “At full staff, we employ 180 commissioned deputies, but we are currently short on staffing. We can’t guarantee every shift will be filled, but regardless, the schools will see an increased presence as a result of this agreement.”
In June, the board approved a one-year contract with the Sheriff’s Office for Gibson to serve as the SRO for this school year. The Fox district is paying the Sheriff’s Office $82,616 for Gibson to serve as an SRO, board documents said.
“The more people you have with eyes and that mindset, the better off you are going to be,” Fregeau said of having SROs at schools. “Also, the fact that people are aware that they are around is a deterrent.”
Whitney said the Sheriff’s Office has eight full-time SROs assigned to various districts in the county. He said deputies complete basic SRO training within their first year, followed by advanced SRO training and yearly conferences.
Whitney said along with the current SROs, the Sheriff’s Office has several supervisors, detectives and deputies in other assignments who previously were assigned to full-time SRO positions.
“We have incredible partnerships with the school districts in our county to provide SRO services,” he said. “Because these positions are critical for the safety of our campuses and simultaneously build positive relationships between our deputies, educators and students, we make every effort to staff these positions with a deputy who is a good fit for the role and school they serve.”
Arnold Police
Fox Board of Education members voted in August to approve the SRO contract with the Arnold Police Department, and Arnold City Council members voted in September to approve the deal.
According to the agreement, Fox will pay $50,000 for each officer for this school year, as well as the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school years.
Fox paid $45,000 for each of the three officers for the 2023-2024 school year. The city and district previously had negotiated new agreements every year.
“I think it was a great middle ground,” Fregeau said. “The fee increase was addressed, but we also locked in the budgeting item for three years, which makes it a little more manageable on our end as far as planning, rather than bringing it back year by year. I think it was a win-win.”
Chief Brian Carroll said Crites and Wilson are paid a full salary of $105,394, and Prusinowski’s full salary is $103,896. The city of Arnold pays the difference between the officers’ salaries, meaning it pays $55,394 to cover the salaries for Crites and Wilson and $53,896 for Prusinowski’s salary.
“When discussing the current contract, the meetings were very positive between our staff and school officials,” Carroll said. “The three-year commitment certainly helps with budget planning, but it also ensures there is a consistent law enforcement presence in our schools for the next three years.”
During the school year, Wilson is assigned to Fox High School; Crites is assigned to Rockport Heights and Sherwood elementary schools; and Prusinowski is assigned to Fox elementary and middle schools, all in Arnold, Carroll said.
“The safety of our children in this community is a top priority for our agency,” Carroll said. “We are very fortunate to be able to provide three full-time SRO’s dedicated to our school district. As a parent of a fifth grader, I know first-hand the importance of providing a safe and secure learning environment for our students.
“Dr. Fregeau and I have a very positive relationship. I am confident that we are on the same page when it comes to keeping our students and teachers safe.”