SOMERSET, Md. -- The Somerset County Sheriff's Office has agreed to send a school resource officer to Holly Grove Christian School. The move is being finalized, and the sheriff's office expects the resource officer to be at Holly Grove by the end of September.
"We're currently working on a memorandum of understanding, which is nearly complete," said Sheriff Ron Howard. "And we're currently processing a retired deputy to work on a contractual basis for Holly Grove Christian School."
That officer will receive specialized training specific to working in schools, such as how to deal with threats to the school or even an active shooter. Sheriff Howard says this move will make the school safer.
"To me, school resource officers, they're an extremely valuable tool to any school, whether it's public or private," said Sheriff Howard.
Somerset County will initially pay the officers salary, but Holly Grove's school board has agreed to fully reimburse the county. Holly Grove agreeing to pay the county back is a big reason this move is happening. But, according to Sheriff Howard, the biggest reason is for the safety of the students.
"You can never say never to any possible school shooting, or any possible violence in schools, whether it's private or public," said Sheriff Howard. "They're safety is paramount, it is, and we cannot stress that enough."
We reached out to Holly Grove Christian School, but they declined to comment. If the move works out well, Sheriff Howard feels like more private schools in Somerset County will ask for a resource officer, and that is something the sheriff's office would be happy to help with.