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Safe
Schools Fact Sheets
| Implementing An Effective School Resource Officer Program |
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School Resource Officers
(SRO’s) and the School Community
Collaboration between Law Enforcement Officers and
Schools is an important step in increasing school
safety. The concept of having Law Enforcement Officers
involved with schools stems from the practice of Community
Policing. Community Policing utilizes the assistance
of community members for identifying and prioritizing
problems and developing solutions. The school community
may involve the following: superintendents, administrators,
principals and assistant principals; teachers and
assistants; counselors, school nurses, school social
workers and psychologists; bus drivers, custodians,
maintenance and cafeteria personnel; students and
parents. In a School Resource Officer program the
members of the school community partner with the Law
Enforcement Officer assigned to their school in order
to create a setting that is safe and secure, with
a focus on prevention and early intervention activities.
Roles and Responsibilities
The roles and responsibilities of the School Resource
Officer vary from school to school. A diverse range
of duties can be incorporated into the SRO job description.
Some functions served by the SRO include: law enforcement
officer, public safety specialist, community liaison
and problem solver, law-related educator, and positive
role model.
- Law Enforcement
Officer - Although a less performed role,
the SRO is still a law enforcement officer with
the authority and duty to handle crimes and make
arrests when necessary. It is important to differentiate
between school code of conduct violations and crimes.
SRO’s should not be involved in code of conduct
violations, but should take the lead on criminal
violations. Part of this role is also the responsibility
to serve as a liaison between the school and the
local police department.
- Public Safety
Specialist - The SRO should be aware of current
research on effective strategies for increasing
school safety, and assist the school in implementing
research-based strategies. The SRO should be involved
with discipline policies, school safety assessments,
physical safety of the school, crisis and emergency
management planning, crime prevention or intervention,
and other safe school planning processes.
- Community Liaison
and Problem Solver - Many problems require
change within or assistance from the community.
The SRO should be aware of community resources and
contacts that can be helpful in solving a problem.
Some community resources of which the SRO should
be aware include: mental health services, substance
abuse assessment and treatment providers, child
protective services, runaway shelters, domestic
violence services, and family counseling agencies.
- Law-Related Educator
- Law-Related Education is designed to teach students
the fundamentals and skills needed to become responsible
citizens in a democracy. Law-Related Education teaches
social competence, problem-solving skills, a sense
of autonomy, and reinforces high expectations for
youth and positive peer norms. This should be a
fun and interesting class with field trips, community
service projects, visits from juvenile justice representatives,
classroom participation, and mock trials or public
performances.
- Positive Role
Model - One of the most influential roles
held by the SRO is that of being a positive role
model to students. Students often seek approval,
direction and guidance in informal interactions
with an SRO that they trust. Some ways for the SRO
to be a positive role model include: setting limits
by being clear about what is acceptable and unacceptable;
setting an example; being honest; being consistent
with students, staff and parents; encouraging responsibility;
and showing respect for students. The SRO should
always try to maintain a professional appearance;
be visible and accessible; take concerns seriously
and follow through with commitments to take action;
participate in and support school functions; maintain
a relationship with students’ parents; and
maintain a relationship with faculty and school
administration.
Establishing Relationships
A critical aspect to the success of the School Resource
Officer is the establishment of relationships with
school staff and specialists, parents, and especially
students. It is important for the SRO to be aware
of the services being provided by school specialists
such as Guidance Counselors, School Nurses, School
Psychologists, School Social Workers, Speech Pathologists,
Physical Therapists, and Occupational Therapists.
The SRO should establish collaborative working relationships
with the specialists and with school staff. Parents
are key players in the school community and should
also be the focus of relationship building by the
SRO. The SRO should attend PTA meetings, parent nights
and conferences. It would also be useful for the SRO
to create a brochure or fact sheet regarding the roles
of the SRO; this could be distributed to parents,
teachers, students and other community members. Without
a doubt, the most important relationships for the
SRO to cultivate are relationships with the students.
Getting youth actively involved in the School Resource
Officer program can help the SRO to build rapport
with students; reduce stereotypes of police officers;
provide opportunities for youth be involved in the
improvement of their school; and promote crime and
delinquency prevention. Some ideas for student involvement
include:
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School
Safety Surveys - having student involvement
in surveying peers regarding the safety of the
school.
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Vandalism
Prevention - use posters/brochures to bolster
school pride and to educate.
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Crime
Watch - students can watch for crime and
suspicious activity and report it.
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Drug
Abuse Prevention - educate peers on dangers
of alcohol and drugs.
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Community
Clean-ups - work with peers to paint over
graffiti, pick up litter, etc.
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Mentoring
- assist younger students through tutoring, reading,
or spending time.
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Teen
Courts - use students to try cases of other
students.
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Senior
Citizen Assistance - students assist elderly
with errands or tasks and check in on them.
The School Resource Officer
and School Safety
The School Resource Officer is a key player in all
of the components of safe school planning.
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Planning
Teams -The SRO should be included in planning
meetings to discuss school safety issues and contribute
to decisions about school safety.
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Assessments
- School safety assessments should be performed
in the school and community; the SRO can assist
or direct the process since he/she should have
relationships with students and the community
that would add credibility to the efforts.
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Prevention
Programming - The SRO should be aware of
the importance of research based programs. With
the results from the assessments, the SRO and
the Planning Team can choose programs which are
appropriate to the needs of the school and community.
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Social
Support Team - The SRO is a critical member
of the collaborative interagency team known as
the Social Support Team. This team is to be made
up of some or all of the following: school administrator,
local law enforcement, SRO, community-based mental
health professional, school counselor/psychologist,
and a legal advisor. This team meets to address
the needs of at risk youth and to manage individual
student cases.
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Crisis
Planning - The SRO should be a key player
in the development of the school crisis response
plans. The SRO can help facilitate the communications
between the school and law enforcement, and can
help ensure that all plans are practiced, not
only within the school, but also with the involvement
of all applicable agencies (law enforcement, parents,
media, etc.).
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