On the way home recently from the circuit clerk’s office, I was listening to Mike Mitchell’s Alabama 810 radio news broadcast. He reported that the Etowah County Commission and the Etowah County School Board were discussing plans to place officers in county schools.

It reminded me of a meeting the Calhoun County Commission had about 15 years ago with Sheriff Larry Amerson. The sheriff had obtained a federal grant to pay for deputies to be placed in Calhoun County schools for safety purposes.

Through the years, Sheriff Amerson obtained more Cops in Schools grants, and because the county commission thought it was such a good program, we funded the program when the grants ran out. Today, the Calhoun County Board of Education funds the Cops in Schools program with money generated from a 1-cent sales tax for education the county commission enacted several years ago.

I would like to thank our sheriff, county commissioners, Superintendent Joe Dyar and the Calhoun County Board of Education for making sure Calhoun County schools are safe for our children.

James Eli Henderson
Calhoun County Circuit Clerk