Back to School 2022-SROs


Back to School 2022-SROs

Back to School 2022- SROs

As summer’s end nears, all parents begin to anticipate their children’s return to school. With the rash of public mass shootings in the news, adult conversations turn to concerns about school safety. Parents discuss everything from homeschooling to what's being done at local schools to keep their kids safe.

With so many public mass shootings in the news over the past few months, most of us don’t feel completely safe sending our children back to school. Some families consider homeschooling or remote learning. There are certainly safety advantages to homeschooling, but it’s not always possible for families when both parents work. Kids also miss out on social interactions and activities with many homeschool programs unless they have organized group activities.

If homeschooling isn't the answer for you, preparing yourselves mentally and emotionally for the start of school should include knowing how well schools are prepared for emergencies. If you’re like me, perhaps you’ve contacted the local school board to express your concerns and ask about safety measures. I never received a direct response when I did so, so hopefully, you fared better.

After reading various articles and studies, I realized it seems preventing school shootings is more complex than you might imagine. Unfortunately, while there have been studies, results seem to be mixed and somewhat conflicting. For example, one security subject studied was the effectiveness of school security officers or school resource officers.

Do School Resource Officers Make Students Feel Safe?

Having trained security professionals or local police officers on campus may give parents and children a sense of safety. Parents tend to feel reassured by having someone completely in charge of school security. However, according to several studies, whether children feel safer with security professionals on campus varies greatly from school to school.

Having SROs or School Resource Officers, whether from the local police or a security company, has advantages. One study done in 2005 by Travis & Coon, concluded that “schools with SROs are more likely to have their school grounds patrolled, have more formal responses to crime reports from students and teachers, have a developed emergency response plan, and conduct risk assessments.” Another study by Jennings, Maskaly, & Donner in 2011 found that schools with SROs experienced a decline in serious violent crimes reported.

But does having security officers or police make the children feel safer? That seems to vary from school to school. For example, a survey done in 2011 by Bachman, Randolph, and Brown indicated that students, teachers, and staff see the presence of officers on campus as an indication that the school isn’t a safe place. So how can SROs help children feel safe?

I think an important study of three large schools in 2005 by McDevitt and Panniello has the answer. It concluded that the relationship between security staff and students mattered most. If SROs develop an open and positive relationship with students, students feel safer.

“when students had a positive view of the SRO, they were more likely to report a crime or threat and were more likely to feel safe at school. This finding suggests, however, that this benefit will be achieved only when the students respect and feel comfortable with their SRO.”

Do SROs Prevent School Shootings?

Has a security officer ever stopped a school shooter? While study evidence that armed security prevents school shootings doesn’t exist as of now, there have been a few cases of security personnel or local police officers stationed at schools helping to stop school shooters.

In March 2018, a county sheriff’s deputy working at a Maryland High School stopped a shooter. The New York Post reported that Blaine Gaskill, a veteran sheriff’s deputy with SWAT training, stopped gunman Austin Wyatt Rollins, who had shot two students at Great Mills High School in Southern Maryland.

In another incident at Dixon High School in Illinois, resource officer, Mark Dallas, shot and wounded a former student who had opened fire. CNN quotes Shawn Roselieb, executive director of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor Council, saying, “A tragedy was averted today in Dixon because a police officer put his life on the line to protect his fellow citizens.”.

There was also a recent incident in Kansas involving an SRO stopping another school shooter.

So, whether or not having security officers at school stops active shooters, it seems that their presence can have benefits. Parents probably feel better about their children’s safety when there’s someone on campus exclusively dedicated to school safety. If the officers connect with the school’s students, the students feel safer and are more likely to report threats.

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