The mother of a slain Apalachee High School student is pushing for the Barrow County Commission to approve funding for School Resource Officers. Breanna Schermerhorn addressed the Barrow County School Board Tuesday evening. She is the mother of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, who was among the four killed in a school shooting last September.
“On September 4, it was School Resource Officers who ended the threat, not a policy, not a press release,” Said Schermerhorn. “Trained officers on campus who responded in seconds and saved countless lives. They didn’t just show up, they acted because their POST certification holds them to a duty. A duty to protect, a duty to intervene, and a duty to never freeze when our children are in danger.”
Commissioners determined that the use of county maintenance and operations funds for SROs is prohibited, despite an exception for senior taxes. A move Schermerhorn disagrees with.
“What has changed to make it illegal now after 25 years of operating under a senior tax exemption” She asked. “If the commission was really concerned about county M&O taxes being used for educational related expenses or SROs, then a reasonable approach would be to identify the total number of seniors who are exempt from paying taxes, school taxes, and calculate the amount of county M&O taxes those same seniors contribute.”
Schermerhorn is filing a lawsuit. Accused shooter Colt Gray is facing multiple charges, including murder in connection with the shooting.
