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I have been in law enforcement for approximately 34 years and have been a member of my department’s command staff for approximately 15 years.  I currently serve as an assistant chief, and part of the area under my command is our school resource officer (SRO) program. In preparation for my next career advancement to police chief, I am seeking my Master’s Degree in Administrative Leadership. A significant growth area within law enforcement in recent years has been expansion of SRO programs, as well as independent school district (ISD) police departments.

My primary audience will be the law enforcement officers who work in K-12 schools, whether as school resource officers or as school district police officers.  I believe that their work has complexities that are often overlooked. Originally placed in school districts to help bridge gaps between police officers and students, they now serve a dual role as likely first responders to a school active shooter incident. They have the same responsibilities as any other police officer, with the added pressure of possibly facing an active shooter while outgunned and without backup. School officers must comply with the same laws, regulations, and licensing requirements as other officers, as well as comply with laws specific to policing in an education environment. With the rising level of school violence, this topic is crucial to current and future safety of the schools.

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On July 18, 2022, I interviewed Joseph Parks, JD, the former Executive Director of Safety & Security Services for the Plano Independent School District. In this capacity, Mr. Parks had overall responsibility for the safety of the faculty, staff and students at Plano Independent School District. He managed a staff of security personnel, to include a canine unit, and he was the liaison with the school resource officer program of the Plano Police Department. Mr. Parks is a licensed attorney specializing in Employment and Education law, and is a retired lieutenant with the Plano Police Department. His bio can be reviewed here: https://www.josephlparks.com/about-5.

During the interview Mr. Parks and I discussed a number of issues regarding schools and safety to fully understand the breadth of operations and how SROs fit into the program. While some schools have elected to create their own police departments, Mr. Parks said this was felt to be unnecessary when asked if they considered going this direction. He informed me PISD had no intention or desire to create their own police force, not only due to the extensive cost of such, but because the level of service they receive from city departments in the area has always proven to be exemplary and they do not want to infringe on those partnerships.  In his experience through the introduction and expansion of the SRO program in the Plano ISD, several points have evolved and become best practice to ensure everyone is on the same page. These are including the SRO in normal school staff meetings to keep them aware of current activity, involve them in helping train and critique emergency school drills to best address all safety concerns, and ensure they maintain tactical readiness. Another practice that has been effective is allowing officers opportunities to interact with and get to know the students. These interactions help form relationships that make students more likely to inform officers of problems or knowledge about events within the school.

Several emerging issues were identified related to school-based policing, primarily related to active shooter response and prevention. There should be increased emphasis on mental health services for students. More emphasis should be placed on being uniform in conducting school threat assessments and ensuring the school resource officer is included in these assessments. There is a need for better coordination of information-sharing among government agencies (law enforcement and schools) to connect the dots before a school-shooting occurs. There must be an increased focus on physical security of school campuses. The events in Uvalde will undoubtedly identify additional issues that need to be addressed.

The Legal Guide topic is important because police officers policing in a school environment are normal licensed peace officers in the State of Texas. They are responsible for maintaining their certification and continuing education, so they are responsible for all the normal sources of law of any Texas Peace Officer. Officers assigned to work in a school setting also have additional training requirements outlined by TCOLE which they must adhere to. Additionally, school resource officers must be knowledgeable with Texas Education Code, Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act, Texas Administrative Code, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and other laws relevant to an educational setting. Having officers and administrators knowledgeable on how best to adapt to operations within a school will enhance the security and safety of everyone involved.

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National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO, www.nasro.org)

In 2012, the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) produced a report titled “To Protect & Educate: The School Resource Officer and the Prevention of Violence in Schools”. This report outlines the mission and purpose of NASRO. This report focuses on child welfare reform, student rights, victim’s rights, and liability. The report outlines the history of police officers in schools in America and provides statistics and data which show the success of school resource officer programs. The report talks about the triad of school resource officer responsibility as educator, informal counselor, and law enforcement officer (National Association of School Resource Officers, 2012).

National Association of School Resource Officers. (2012). To protect & educate: The school resource officer and the prevention of violence in schools. NASRO. https://www.nasro.org/clientuploads/About-Mission/NASRO-To-Protect-and-Educate-nosecurity.pdf

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·       During an active shooter situation at an Oxford, MI high school three students died and eight were injured (Erb, 2021). This unfortunately is becoming a far too frequent headline regarding school safety.

·       The article details how active shooter drills and training helped minimize casualties highlighting the fact that being prepared for the worst type of scenario has the potential to save lives. Training and knowledge are two of the most important skills one can have if these situations occur.

·       Within two minutes, the shooter, a sophomore, was in custody. Oxford, MI school resource officer was critical in stopping a gunman who was engaged in an active shooter incident. An effective partnership between schools and SROs is essential to ensuring these incidents are ended quickly and others are protected.

Erb, R. (2021, November 30). Three students dead, eight injured at oxford high School. Sophomore in custody | bridge michigan. The Bridge, Michigan. Retrieved July 17, 2022, from https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/three-students-dead-eight-injured-oxford-high-school-sophomore-custody

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Three students dead, eight injured at Oxford High School. Sophomore in custody | Bridge Michigan

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'A deeply dark day for Michigan,' as a school shooter kills two girls, 14 and 17, and a 16-year-old boy with a gun that police say his father recently purchased.

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·       The article talks about the Medford, Oregon SRO Program and the variety of roles they play in the school.

·       Focus is on acting as a counselor, gives examples of differences the officers have made in students’ lives.

·       The article discusses the role as a teacher, reading to classrooms, teaching about police work, and building relationships with students.

·       The original SRO program began in Flint, MI and had nothing to do with responding to active shooters.

·       Discussion about the evolving role of SROs in schools, and how SRO’s job can include many facets of law enforcement and public safety, offering expertise on safety issues, including risk and threat assessment; assisting in lock-down drills; contributing to crisis planning, including training teachers on how to respond when face-to-face with an active shooter (Opsahl, 2022).

Opsahl, K. (2022, January 25). From counselor to cop. Medford News, Weather, Sports, Breaking News | Mail Tribune -. Retrieved July 19, 2022, from https://www.mailtribune.com/top-stories/2022/01/25/from-counselor-to-cop/

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School Resource officers face 'a spectrum' of situations in K-12 institutions as job has evolved; debate over their need persists

When Medford police officer Mike Jackson was reading a story to Jackson Elementary School students, he could not help but notice one of them was "hiding" under a desk.

The instructor determined the student was not creating a real distraction, and the young child stayed in that spot while Jackson read the award-winning book "Officer Buckle & Gloria."

As students filed out of the room after the reading, Jackson extended his hand for the shy student to give him a fist-bump. The student reciprocated.

Jackson has often thought about why the boy's reaction to him changed from hesitancy to confidence.

"The fact that ... this kid went from a place of hiding ... to bumping knuckles with me, I feel like maybe I accomplished something," said Jackson, one of four school resource officers within the Medford School District.

Medford schools aren't the only places you'll find these types of officers, who also work in community police precincts. SROs are also posted at other school districts in the Rogue Valley, including Central Point, where they helped investigate a student who made a threat at Crater High School.

Officials in Michigan credit a school resource officer for being one of the first to confront 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, accused of opening fire at Oxford High School, killing four people and injuring seven more.

But these officers, wearing a full police uniform equipped with weapons, not only act when law enforcement matters arise at any particular school - they're also teachers and counselors.

"There are usually two groups of people that get a standing ovation anytime when we do have the opportunity to come together as a district, and that's our custodians and SROs," said Ron Havniear, director of facilities and leadership development for the Medford School District. "What they do on a daily basis is nothing short of a significant challenge, but they do it well. They're truly part of the team."

He said there are four SROs in the district, posted primarily at South Medford and North Medford high schools, as well as Hedrick and McLoughlin middle schools. They also go to the other schools that don't have a designated SRO.

"For right now, I feel like we have adequate coverage. They're very busy and engaged," Havniear said.

When the district adds Oakdale Middle School, which recently got its official name, officials will likely add a new SRO, he went on to say.

"That way, all the middle school and high schools would have one at their home base," Havniear said.

Jackson, who came from San Jose to Medford to raise his family, joined the city's police department in the early 2000s, but did not start as an SRO for the Medford School District.

When the opportunity became available, however, Jackson gave it serious thought because he liked working with kids and wanted to learn more about keeping them safe.

"I probably intended to do the job for a few years (and) like most folks in most locations, move on to the next thing," he said. "After a couple years of being a school resource officer, I realized I'm not going to be done with this anytime soon."

He called it "one of the most positive jobs one can do in law enforcement," because it is one that does not not strictly deal with investigating criminal matters.

"You get to do a lot of other things that are way more positive," Jackson said. "It's an opportunity for the kids to interact with a police officer in the course of their normal day, not because something awful has just happened and someone needed to call the cops."

For Jackson, there is no such thing as a typical day for an SRO. But his duties are based on the "triad model," which means that an SRO is three things: teacher, counselor and police officer.

"Those three things in that order," Jackson said. "Ideally, I would be a teacher and a counselor a whole heck of a lot more than a cop."

The teaching aspect might involve not only reading books to students, but teaching them what police officers do.

The SRO counseling role is considered "informal" compared to school officials whose sole job it is to do that, Jackson explained.

"(I told) a kid, 'we become like the people we hang out with,'" he said. "If you're with a group of friends who are all cursing like sailors, what is your language like? But if you're in your lab group and you're doing your work and nobody's using profanity, are you going to use it? Probably not."

And then there's the "cop" aspect of an SRO, Jackson said, which runs the gauntlet from issuing citations to students to responding to a school shooting, if that situation arose.

"Most enforcement issues that I'm dealing with, they're fairly minor in the world of law enforcement," Jackson said. "If making the kinds of arrests that make the front page of your paper was something that I was interested in, I certainly would not be a school resource officer. Being an SRO is less exciting than a patrol. We investigate less crimes than our detectives."

That's not to say Jackson hasn't made felony arrests at schools; he has. In addition, he is ready and able to respond to an active shooter if they came to any school in the district.

"If there's someone there that's going to try and kill my kid, I am going to do anything and everything I have to do to stop that person," Jackson said. "Law enforcement can be 99% mundane and 1% sheer terror."

The one thing SROs are not expected to do is enforce the school code of conduct.

"A student using their cellphone in class, they're not breaking the law," Jackson said.

Though a school staff member could certainly ask an SRO to "stand by" while the rule is being enforced, particularly if the student in question has a history of disruption.

"Sometimes, just our very presence will prevent something like that from occurring," Jackson said.

Havniear hopes that the SROs' presence is more reassuring than menacing.

"What I see being more effective is just the fact that because they're there and they have a presence and ... they have a lot of trust built up," he said. "I feel like that pays dividends when we get to larger-scale issues that are dynamic and fast-paced and changing."

The job of SROs has evolved since the first ones were introduced in Flint, Michigan, in the 1950s.

"The original idea had nothing to do with danger to schools or school shootings," Jackson said. "It was all about, 'Hey, things happen at school and sometimes we have to send police officers there to deal with. What if we just assign officers to the school so that all this positive stuff can happen and we can build those relationships, and then when the enforcement happens, it can happen.'"

As the decades went on, SRO roles changed, but it got to the point where they were playing "dumb cop," by enforcing mundane school rules, according to Jackson.

That era is over.

"We are now more involved and check more boxes than the original idea of the SRO," Jackson said. "Certainly my job has changed quite a bit in the last decade and a half."

An SRO's job can include many facets of law enforcement and public safety, offering expertise on safety issues, including risk and threat assessment; assisting in lock-down drills; contributing to crisis planning, including training teachers on how to respond when face-to-face with an active shooter.

Havniear said the district is experiencing "an increase of situations to deal with," but did not elaborate on what.

"It's hard to teach school if you don't have a safe, secure environment, and I think the SROs are critical in helping us do that," he said. "It's profound, the spectrum of situations that they deal with on a daily basis. .... It could be as simple as traffic in the morning to graffiti at our sites or theft."

SROs: stay or go?

But while SROs appear valued in communities like Medford, in other parts of Oregon and numerous states, there's a debate over whether they should even exist.

Last year, Salem-Keizer Superintendent Christy Perry announced to her district's school board that she would not renew SRO contracts with local law enforcement for the remainder of the year or next.

She blamed "mission drift" and lack of adherence to national standards among the reasons for letting the SROs go, according to an article from The Statesman Journal.

Going forward "school safety and discipline will be approached in a new, yet-to-be-determined way," she said, with officers being brought into schools only for specific cases.

Salem police Chief Trevor Womack praised the SROs in a statement for their three decades of service, but said the decision would allow his department the ability to redirect their resources.

While not mentioning specific communities, Mo Canady, executive director of the National Association of School Resource Officers, told the Mail Tribune in written responses that some SROs have operated in ways contrary to his organization's standards.

"This could include treating students of color differently than other students, unnecessarily referring students to the juvenile justice system or failing to build positive relationships with students, especially students who fear police," he wrote.

It is for instances like the ones Canady mentioned that lead some activist groups to criticize SROs, claiming they contribute to the "school-to-prison pipeline." That concept is something Jackson talked about.

"The idea is that actions taken by SROs and school administrators are contributing to kids who get in trouble at school ultimately becoming criminals later on in life," he said. "By and large, the people who believe that SROs contribute to this pipeline are largely people who don't like the police."

While he understands the trust gap between members of the community and the police, Jackson says emphatically this "pipeline" perception of SROs is false.

"Every day that I get to have a mentoring, counseling or coaching session with a kid about crime prevention ... and rightly advise whether something needs to be handled by the school, the police or both, I am demonstrating that I have nothing to do with any school-to-prison pipeline," Jackson said.
Reach reporter Kevin Opsahl at 541-776-4476 or kopsahl@rosebudmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @KevJourno.

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School Resource officers face 'a spectrum' of situations in K-12 institutions as job has evolved; debate over their need persists When Medford police officer Mike Jackson was reading a story to Jackson Elementary School students, he could not help but notice one of them was "hiding" under a desk.

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Federal

-        U.S. Congress

-        Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99)

-        https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2010-title34-vol1/pdf/CFR-2010-title34-vol1-part99.pdf

o   FERPA generally prevents the release or disclosure of education records and personal identifying information of students.

o   Schools must balance privacy for students and interests of safety.

o   Allows for schools to release some personal identifying information to law enforcement in the interest of safety.

o   Schools can release Education Records and personal identifying information to threat assessment teams, including outside law enforcement agencies and mental health professionals.

o   In some circumstances, a school resource officer may be considered a school official.

State

-        Texas Legislature

-        Texas Education Code – Duty to Report to Law Enforcement (Tex. Ed. Code § 37.015)

-        https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.37.htm

o   Principal, or designee, is required to report certain criminal offenses to local law enforcement if the principal has reasonable grounds to believe the offense occurred in school, on school property, or at a school-sponsored or school-related activity on or off school property, whether or not the activity was investigated by school security officers.

o   Principal may designate a school employee to make the reports required.

o   Name and address of each student believed to have been involved in the criminal offense must be reported.

o   Reportee will not be liable in civil damages for reporting in good faith.

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Federal

-        United States Supreme Court

-        New Jersey v. T.L.O., 469 U.S. 325 (1985)

-        https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/facts-and-case-summary-new-jersey-v-tlo

o   Supreme Court case established standard of reasonableness for searches of students conducted by school officials.

o   4th Amendment of U.S. Constitution prohibition on unreasonable searches applies

o   School officials do not need probable cause or obtain a warrant.

o   School officials need only have reasonable suspicion the student violated school rules or law.

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State

-        Texas Education Agency – Texas Administrative Code

-        Tex. Admin. Code Title 19 Part 2 §103.1207 Unauthorized Entry

o   School administrator, school resource officer, or district peace officer may refuse to allow a person to enter on or may eject a person from proper under the district’s control if the person refuses to leave and:

o   Person poses a substantial risk of harm to any person; or

o   Person behaves in a manner that is inappropriate for a school setting

o   Identification may be required of any person on district property.

o   Person may be issued a criminal trespass warning for up to two years

o   Action may be appealed to school district’s board of trustees.

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Federal

-        First Amendment of the United States Constitution

-        U.S. Const. amend. I

-        https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-1/

o   Protects freedom of speech

o   Protects right of the people peaceably to assemble

o   Students enjoy same rights, however schools may take reasonable action to maintain a safe and functioning learning environment

o   School may prohibit an otherwise protected expression if it will substantially interfere with school operations or the rights of others.

State

-        The Texas Constitution

-        Tex. Const. art. VII, § 1

-        https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.7.htm#:~:text=A%20general%20diffusion%20of%20knowledge,system%20of%20public%20free%20schools.

o   Provides for support and maintenance of system of public free schools

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Slide 10: Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Slide 10: Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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-        Plano ISD Policy 043910 implements the district’s comprehensive safety programs by entering into an agreement with Plano Police Department to provide school resource officers. This policy outlines minimum training requirements for school resource officers, and mandates that school resource officers will not be assigned routine classroom discipline or administrative tasks.

Plano Independent School District. (2019). Safety Program/Risk Management Security Personnel. (Plano ISD Policy No. 043910). Plano, TX: PISD

https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/312?filename=CKE(LOCAL).pdf

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As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve the community; to safeguard lives against property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice (Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, 1957).

Law enforcement code of ethics. (1957). International Association of Chiefs of Police. Retrieved June 21, 2022, from https://www.theiacp.org/resources/law-enforcement-code-of-ethics

Link: https://www.theiacp.org/resources/law-enforcement-code-of-ethics

-        As police officers, school resource officers are sworn to uphold their oath of office, policies and procedures, and the law enforcement code of ethics. A scenario that can create an ethical dilemma is when a school principal, who the school resource officer reports to, wants the officer to enforce school policies or standards. Police officers are prohibited from enforcing school policies and are only authorized to enforce criminal laws

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As an assistant chief of police who commands the school resource officer unit, I must work cooperatively with the school district to meet their safety and security needs by providing school resource officers to district campuses. I must work with the district to establish MOUs and agreements that allow both entities to achieve their missions while adhering to school district policies and police department policies.

It is critically important that I understand the perspective and needs of school administrators and how it relates to my role as a law enforcement administrator. Developing and maintaining these cooperative partnerships is crucial to maintaining a safe school environment in our community.  It is difficult for school resource officers to discern what is allowable when working in a school environment as compared to other assignments in the police department. This highlights the importance of identifying and providing regular, recurring training for our school resource officers, so that they can have the necessary skills, tools and training to be successful in this demanding but critically important assignment.

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1.     In wake of recent violence in schools, having a law enforcement presence in schools is more important than ever. Districts should either have an independent school district police department or should enter into agreements with local police departments to provide school resource officers.

2.     School resource officers should adopt the triad philosophy concerning their duties as teacher, counselor, law enforcement officer.

3.     In addition to mandatory training, school resource officers should seek out additional training in crisis intervention techniques, de-escalation, and dealing with persons with mental health issues.

4.     School resource officers should not enforce house rules, school disciplinary policies, and procedures.

5.     School resource officers must take the initiative to get engaged with the students, spend time getting to know them and building relationships, make themselves available as a resource for the students.

6.     School resource officers should attend school staff meetings and be involved in threat assessment teams.

7.     School resource officers should share their knowledge and expertise by being actively involved in emergency response plans, drills, and work to educate staff and students on how to respond in an emergency situation.