Moore County's school cops are headed for a new boss. In a unanimous vote this week, the Moore County Board of Education signed off on shutting down its standalone school police department and turning school resource officer oversight over to the Moore County Sheriff’s Office. The move is pitched as a way to guarantee a dedicated, armed officer at each of the district’s 24 schools, which serve more than 13,000 students, according to Spectrum News.
The transition is slated to start in January 2027, with a full handoff expected to take roughly 12 to 18 months. To steady the ship in the meantime, board members also approved a severance payment for officers who stay on through December 31, 2026.
Why the board made the change
School and county leaders told local outlets that long-running staffing gaps helped drive the decision. District officials said they have struggled to fully staff the Moore County Schools Police Department, citing state hiring and certification rules that make it tough to bring in new officers straight from the academy. By shifting to a sheriff-run model, they say, the county can tap broader recruiting pipelines and different pay structures to finally cover all 24 campuses, according to Star 102.5.
To keep current officers on board during the ramp-up, the board has already tweaked separation and benefit rules to improve retention, the Sandhills Sentinel reported.
Some parents at the meeting backed the change. Parent Asia Clark told Spectrum News, "I feel very secure knowing that they will be on the premises."
What it means for current officers
To cushion the landing for school police who will see their department dissolved, the board voted to offer any Moore County Schools police officer who remains employed through December 31, 2026 a severance package equal to three months of base salary. District officials described the payout as a way to soften the transition while keeping experienced officers in place until the sheriff’s team is fully deployed.
Spectrum News reports that district staff and the sheriff’s office will coordinate a phased rollout so officers are not pulled before replacements are in place. The goal is to keep school coverage intact while legal authority and day-to-day assignments gradually move over to the sheriff.
State rules and training
State law gives school boards some flexibility in how they police campuses, but it also sets guardrails. North Carolina statute authorizes local boards to arrange law-enforcement coverage through their own police departments or through agreements with other agencies and requires school resource officers to complete specific initial and in-service training.
The General Assembly’s code spells out SRO roles, training expectations and the basic framework for contracts between school districts and law-enforcement agencies. Those provisions appear in Chapter 115C of state law, available from the NC General Assembly.
Reaction and next steps
Board Chair Dr. Robin Calcutt has framed the reorganization as a way to tighten school security while recognizing the work of the current Moore County Schools officers, a message echoed in a district release cited by Star 102.5. District leaders and the sheriff’s office say they plan to publish more detailed timelines, campus assignments and contact information as the rollout plan takes shape so families know which deputies will be assigned where before the January 2027 start.
For now, the board’s unanimous vote marks a significant operational pivot aimed at closing persistent coverage gaps that have left some schools without a full-time SRO. Officials say their top priorities are uninterrupted campus coverage and a smoother recruiting pipeline under county supervision, with more specifics promised as the transition blueprint is finalized.
