UNSAFE SCHOOLS

For the past six years Deputy Jeff Tabor was more likely to be seen
patrolling the corridors of Sullivan East than the highways of
Sullivan County. Tabor says kids rarely misbehaved on his beat.

"They see that we can be their best friend or we can also be their
worse enemy if they mess up".

The deputy was one of four school resource officers keeping high
schools safe.

But now, thanks to budget cuts the only way he's going back to
Sullivan East is if he gets a call.

"I can still respond to school given my shift but like I said the
response time is going to be much slower due to being spread out from
one end of the county to the other".

Parents are not too concerned about their child's safety. They don't
think they are going to get shot while they're at school, but what
they do say is that they're more concerned about the drug activity
that could increase now that they're aren't going to be any public
safety officers.

" I think that the drug issue is the most weighty issue because I do
think students have a tendency not to bring drugs on campus as readily
when they know there is an officer around ".

Educators say schools always seem to take the hit from budget
cuts.

Principal Mary Rouse feels eliminating resource officers is a
short-term measure that doesn't look to the future.

" The price we are paying now is not going to be anywhere near the
price we are going to pay later".

Sheriff Wayne Anderson's budget was cut by almost four hundred
thousand dollars this year. And he's feels fortunate he didn't have to
cut the officers from the payroll altogether.

One of the duties of resource officers was handling parking duties on
campus. This will now be passed on to teachers....