The Orange County Board of Commissioners is recruiting residents to serve on a Schools Safety Task Force that will begin meeting in January 2023. The board approved the creation of the task force in October and approved the composition at its Nov. 15 meeting.
The Task Force charge will include but not necessarily be limited to:
- Discuss ways in which Orange County government, schools, law enforcement and community can enhance the safety of the school environment to protect from external threats and promote the education of Orange County K-12 public school students;
- Recommend to the Board of County Commissioners new or amended policies, ordinances and/or practices that will address those external threats and provide a safer school environment for our students.
Commissioners Jean Hamilton and Earl McKee were appointed as the two commissioner representatives on the Task Force, which will meet a minimum of six times between January and June of 2023.
The 18-member Task Force will include two at-large representatives who live in the Orange County Schools District and two at-large representatives who live in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools District. Those representatives will be appointed by the BOCC.
Applications from interested residents will be accepted through Dec. 4, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. The application is available at www.orangecountync.gov/Apply.
The task force will also include four representatives, including two students, from each school district, and representatives from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Hillsborough Police Department, Carrboro Police Department and the Chapel Hill Police Department.
The County Manager's Office will secure a facilitator to guide the Task Force's efforts.