What began as a straightforward briefing on a school safety grant turned into a tense exchange at Tuesday night's Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors meeting, with Supervisor David Ferguson and Sheriff Timothy Carter openly disputing whether the Sheriff’s Office had bypassed the board in applying for the grant.

Carter told supervisors the one-year Department of Criminal Justice Services grant would cover $56,387 of a $98,031 civilian position to coordinate emergency planning, drills, threat assessments and safety training across Shenandoah County Public Schools. The county’s share — about $41,600 — would come from vacancy savings in Carter's office part-time budget line.

Supervisor Dennis Morris questioned the timing and asked what would happen if the grant or vacancy savings were una

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