WINTER GARDEN, Fla. — A contract dispute between Orange County Public Schools and the Winter Garden Police Department could be putting students' safety at risk.
The school district owes the Police Department more than $83,000 for providing school-resource officers to five schools last year.
WGPD says its officers were kicked out of the five schools days before classes began in August because the agency refused to sign another contract with OCPS until it paid the money it owes.
Channel 9 learned for the first month of this school year the five schools had no police officers patrolling campus, and one of those days, staff at Lakeview Middle School had to call 911 for a disturbance in the main office.
"That's very disturbing and frightening. I just don't like that," said Melanie Hayes, a parent. “What happened to public education being about the kids? It should always be about the kids."
An OCPS spokesperson said the school district didn't pay up because Winter Garden police refused to sign last year's contract. The district says three days before school started, WGPD said it wouldn’t provide officers.
A police spokesman said the Orange County Sheriff’s Office notified WGPD it had been fired and that deputies would replace officers.
Some parents said they prefer officers to deputies because the Sheriff's Office assigns a different deputy every day, and some days none at all.
Channel 9 learned that it happens because the assignment is overtime and there aren't enough deputies to work it.
"My biggest concern is the safety of the children,” parent Joelynn Moses said. "That money is there. Pay them."
A top Winter Garden staffer said the city repeatedly offered to put its officers back in the schools.