Only three high schools are getting armed law enforcement officers this fall, according to an amended agreement the Mobile County Commission approved Monday.

The remaining nine high schools will be staffed with an armed sheriff’s deputy within the next “eight to 10 weeks,” as they become available and are trained for the job. The Mobile County School Board, late last month, approved a $1.8 million agreement to have a dozen sheriff’s deputies work full-time at each of the Mobile County School System’s 12 high schools.

The changes approved by the commissioners state that the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department does not have 12 law enforcement officers certified through the Alabama Peace Officer Standards and Training “to devote to the board.” Only three are available to be assigned to schools chosen by the School Board.

Under the agreement, once the Sheriff’s Department hires all 12 deputies, the school board will reimburse the county for salary, overtime, all benefits, retirement and equipment (including new vehicles). The estimated cost for each deputy sheriff is $149,310.

The commission adopted the change without making any comments. Sherry Dillihay-McDade, the school board president, told AL.com Monday afternoon that she was unaware of the situation, adding that she will be contacting Superintendent Chresal Threadgill to get more information.

Rena Philips, spokeswoman with the Mobile County School System, said the three deputies are already working. She said that “for security reasons,” the school system cannot “specify exact assignments, but they are in our schools.”

The school system’s high schools are: Mary G. Montgomery, B.C. Rain, Citronelle, Baker, Blount, Williamson, Murphy, Davidson, John L. LeFlore Magnet, Vigor, Theodore, and Alma Bryant.

The 12 armed deputies will join the dozen unarmed student resource officers who have played a role within the school system’s security since 2007. The unarmed SROs will remain within their schools, helping to develop relationships with students and assisting in security issues, according to Andy Gatewood, director of safety and security with Mobile County Public Schools.

Mobile County schools has long held off on adding armed law enforcement officers, despite a growing number of public school systems throughout the state adding them to their systems.

Gatewood said last month that the addition of armed law enforcement officers in Mobile County has been part of a “progression” for the school system on school safety.

“We have seen that unfortunately things throughout the country have not necessarily gotten better as far as the violent acts occurring,” he said. “I think we realize that this is an additional layer we can put into place.”