We were pleased to learn Monday that the Ohio County Board of Education and Ohio County Commission are close to a new contract that, if approved, will keep deputies in local schools. However, as the deal nears completion, the public deserves an explanation as to exactly why deputies weren’t in school one day last week due to a new contract not being in place.

The old contract expired June 30, 2020.

As we’ve noted here previously, it’s unacceptable that the contract lapsed for nearly seven months. We should expect better from those who run our public institutions.

Now, with a deal at hand, it’s time to let the public know exactly what happened here — and what steps are being taken to ensure it doesn’t happen again. The safety of schools and their occupants is far too important for that.