Mother of Apalachee High School shooting victim addresses SRO funding
Breanna Schermerhorn (FOX 5)
BARROW COUNTY, Ga. - The mother of an Apalachee High School shooting victim addressed the Barrow County Board of Education about the need for SROs (school resource officers) and county support on Tuesday.
Calling out Barrow County Commission
What we know:
Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, who died on Sept. 4, 2024, has mostly stayed out of the public eye since the shooting.
She addressed the Barrow County BOE but mainly called out county leadership, not the school district.
Breanna Schermerhorn addresses Barrow County BOE
What they're saying:
"I'm speaking about this here at the Board of Education because they have continued to allow open dialogue about the future safety of our children and teachers, unlike the Board of Commissioners," Schermerhorn said.
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Breanna Schermerhorn, Apalachee High School shooting mother, urges SRO funding
The mother of an Apalachee High School shooting victim addressed the Barrow County Board of Education about the need for SROs and county support on Tuesday. Breanna Schermerhorn, the mother of 14-year-old Mason Schermerhorn, who died on Sept. 4, 2024, has mostly stayed out of the public eye since the shooting. She addressed the Barrow County BOE but mainly called out county leadership, not the school district.
She praised school resource officers who responded to the shooting.
"On September 4, it was school resource officers who ended the threat, not a policy, not a press release," Schermerhorn said. "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. And now, after all that, the county commissioners want to turn around and say, let the school board pay for them as a grieving parent. The Board of Commissioners decision feels utterly disrespectful."
Barrow County SRO funding
The backstory:
The Barrow County Board of Commissioners voted in July to withdraw financial support for the SRO positions due to a new senior school tax exemption approved by voters in November. The law prompted county leaders to shift funds away from school-related expenses. A county spokesperson said the exemption ensures that tax dollars from senior citizens are directed solely toward county services.
The school board agreed to offer to pay 100% of the salaries and benefits to the district’s 24 school resource officers — a cost of approximately $2 million — if the county agrees to cover the indirect costs, including equipment and uniforms.
‘School safety is community responsibility’
What they're saying:
Schermerhorn said it shouldn't be that way.
"Let me ask you, do we treat fire trucks this way? Do we tell this Board of Education to foot the bill when a fire breaks out in a school?" she said. "No, because fire safety is community responsibility, and so is school safety."
She said funding the officers goes beyond just the schools.
"SROs are not just a school expense. They are public safety service. They fall under the Barrow County Sheriff's Office, and they're part of a broader emergency response framework. Let's not forget that our deputies, our SROs are post-certified. That means they have a duty to act across the county and not to set the schools they are assigned to," she said.
Barrow County BOE response
The other side:
The board did not address Schermerhorn's comments at Tuesday night's meeting.
The Source: Information in this article came from FOX 5 attending the Barrow County BOE meeting while Schermerhorn addressed the board. There is some past FOX 5 reporting included, which you can find linked above.