In episode 6 of our School Resource Officer (SRO) series, we discuss the next five critical steps every SRO should take. Building on the foundation from episode 2, this final video covers essential actions such as understanding school rules and the law, joining the threat assessment team, familiarizing yourself with safety plans, and confidently embracing your role as an SRO.
Series Description
School Resource Officers (SROs) are present in many communities nationwide. SROs must be youth advocates, educators, and protectors of all students in the schools they serve. This video series helps SROs consider how students think, how to connect with them, how to break down barriers to communication, and how to become a successful presence in their school.
The SRO video series is produced in partnership with Katherine Schweit, JD at Schweit Consulting and Rocket Media Group.
Series Playlist (6 Episodes)
Transcript
Narrator: In an earlier video, we talked about the first five things you need to do as an SRO. Remember? Get a Memorandum of Understanding with your school; Know your beat; Gather lists; Walk your school; and become an immediate presence to the students and faculty. If you’ve already checked these items off your list, then it’s time to tackle the next five things you should do.
Number 6. Understand disciplinary rules. Set expectations with the school administration, faculty and counselors around school disciplinary actions versus legal criminal investigations. Explain the boundaries of your authority under state law and your department’s policies. You should review past school incidents to see how they were handled when law enforcement was present. Remember, safety includes protecting students from assault, sexual assault, bullying, and other dangerous behaviors. Also, run through hypotheticals with staff; maybe speak at a faculty meeting to answer questions about when they should call you.
Number 7. Know the law and when to use it. And remember, just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do given the circumstance. Use your discretion and understand how to de-escalate. Make sure your department’s and the school district’s policies and procedures on minors don’t conflict. Ever hear of FERPA? It’s the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: the law protecting the release of a student’s “educational” records – which can apply to surveillance videos and photographs. Learn how and when you can access them. FERPA does not apply to records created by a police unit within a school. Maintain all your records separate from official school records.
8. Threat Assessment Teams are tasked with evaluating concerning behaviors and information to determine whether a threat exists. If your school has one, you should be part of it. This team can prevent small problems from boiling over in the school – which just might prevent a tragedy down the road. If your school doesn’t have a Threat Assessment Team, do the research and advocate for setting one up.
9. Know the plans. Find the evacuation plan for the school and lead the way in training to save lives during fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other incidents. The National Association for SROs and the IACP also recommend rigorous training for lockdowns and lockouts during active shooter events. Evacuation should be considered as the first option if possible. School shootings often start on playgrounds, in cafeterias, and near exterior doors, so encourage your school to heed the FBI’s recommendation: teach students how to escape, when they can — to literally run for their lives.
Finally, 10: Be confident. Remember, you can move freely in the school, so do it. Act decisively, with confidence and compassion to de-escalate conflicts. Building positive relationships with students and the school community may just prevent the next tragedy.
Now you know your next 5 priorities: understand the disciplinary rules; know the law; get on the Threat Assessment Team; know the plans; and be confident. So get out there and be a great SRO!