HOPE – For the first time, Flat Rock-Hawcreek School Corp. will have a school resource officer for the entire year.
The Bartholomew County commissioners have agreed to a two-year memorandum of understanding with Flat Rock-Hawcreek, allowing deputy Jessica Pendleton to be permanently assigned as a school resource officer to Hope Elementary and Hauser Jr.-Sr. High schools.
Since January 2019, Pendleton worked in both schools while classes were in session, and the Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools would reimburse the county for the time she worked as a resource officer.
But during June and July while classes are not in session, the 37-year-old Pendleton would be assigned to regular enforcement duties within the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office.
While the commissioners unanimously agreed the Flat Rock-Hawcreek schools would be Pendleton’s permanent, year-round assignment, Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz asked that a clause be removed that calls for an automatic two-year renewal when the agreement expires.
“We kind of thought about different school boards and different commissioners in the future, and felt they should look at the agreement every two years,” Kleinhenz said.
Commissioners Chairman Tony London agreed.
“We discourage what we call evergreen contracts because there are so many changes in personnel over the years,” London said.
A 14-year veteran of the department, Pendleton’s $69,014 salary and benefits will be reimbursed to the county by the school corporation, Sheriff Chris Lane said. In essence, her arrangement will be the same as it is for the SROs who work in the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., the sheriff said.
Pendleton was hired onto the department in 2009. After quickly being promoted to a full-time road patrol officer, she became the department’s K-9 officer in 2011.
In 2015, Pendleton took over the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, succeeding the retiring Pat Bryant. At the time, she had already served as a DARE instructor for four years.
