Implementing Security Staffing for Schools
School resource officers or volunteers
- By Michael Niola
- June 01, 2019
Individual schools and districts are
always seeking ways to increase their
security posture while not losing what
makes them uniquely qualified, as educational
institutions, to create an environment
where learning is invoked through
programs, curriculum, and even the design
and architecture itself. This includes implementing
security policies and procedures,
designing buildings in a way that has security
in mind, proper training, and by exploring
how technology could help with their overall
security goals. Another important aspect of
the overall security program is the staffing of
personnel responsible for different aspects of
a school’s security. This may include school
resource officers or volunteers such as ex-law
enforcement or military veterans.
What is a School Resource Officer?
A school resource officer (SRO) is a sworn
law enforcement officer responsible for safety
and crime prevention in schools, as
defined by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Regulations dictate the experience and training
that these individuals need, which go
beyond a traditional officer’s toolkit. Though,
like a traditional officer, they have the ability
to make arrests, respond to calls for service,
and document incidents, they are also mentors,
counselors, and educators, as outlined
by the National Association of School
Resource Officers. SROs are in most cases
paid positions.
What is a Security Volunteer?
A security volunteer could be anyone else
that a school deems adequate as a responsible
party for different security related tasks
on a campus. They are not required to be
sworn law enforcement officers and typically
aren’t. Therefore, they also do not have the
ability to make arrests or respond to service
calls. Their responsibilities depend on what
the school assigns to their role, but could
range from watching entrances, patrolling
the campus, and signing-in visitors to monitoring
cameras and calling first responders
during an incident. A security volunteer
could be a paid or unpaid position, though it
is often the latter.
Which Role Should You Implement?
There is no right or wrong choice when
deciding what security staffing role to introduce
to your school. These individuals
address different aspects of your security
program and could come with different skillsets.
These roles could also entirely complement
one another. The question is more
about which resource could realistically be
attained most quickly and efficiently given
your current resources. For example, schools
with existing relationships and programs
with local law enforcement may more easily
find a route to implementing a school
resource officer; while schools in a community
with a very involved and hands-on parent
pool, but without funding available, may
find that attaining a security volunteer would
be an easier first step.
Important Items to Note
Hiring Veterans as School Security. In
response to an increase in gun-related school
incidents, a recent trend has emerged. More
schools are looking towards bringing on exlaw
enforcement or military veterans as security
personnel on their campuses. This is typically
being done through volunteer services
which are not closely regulated.
Though the inclination to consider their
backgrounds as unique qualifiers for the role
may seem like an obvious connection to
make, there are some important items to
consider while making this decision. The
training military and law enforcement veterans
receive does give them key skills in security
assessment, planning, and response.
However, they have been trained to implement
this in a much different environment
than they will find in a school campus.
School Specific Training Is Needed. Additional
training should be given in order to
allow them to best translate those skills to
school environments dealing with young students,
particularly if they will be in K-12
schools. Training should augment their current
skills to prepare them for the mentor and
counseling roles that they may also be expected
to undertake. Another key aspect that is
often added is additional de-escalation training,
learning how to arrive at a scene with students
and properly de-escalate the situation,
considering that sometimes having a law
enforcement figure sprinting to a situation
with improper body language could heighten
tensions and have an adverse effect.
Even SROs, whom obtain school environment
specific training, could benefit from
additional training that is tailored for your
campus and school community. You should
consider creating a training program that
allows them to learn from your counselors
and staff so they can better integrate with your
school. They should learn about specific concerns,
risks, and procedures you have in place
which they have to enforce or even help
improve. This would allow them to better
understand your environment and most efficiently
provide positive effects.
Funding. Whatever the decision is for
implementing an SRO, security volunteer, or
both, schools have to consider their funding
resources to add this additional role. SRO’s
are typically paid at the rate of a police detective
which is often higher than the average
teacher’s or school counselor’s salary. This
cost has traditionally been covered by the
school district, however, some law enforcement
agencies have created programs with
schools to share in the responsibility of this
cost. Additionally, state and federal grants
are available to assist with these costs as well.
For example, the U.S. Department of Justice’s
COPS (Community Oriented Policing Solutions)
office has provided over $14 billion in
grants since their establishment in 1994 and
continues to fund grants on a yearly basis.
The addition of security staff on your campuses
is a great way to increase your security
readiness, but make sure you’re putting your
best foot forward by knowing the difference
between an SRO and a security volunteer,
and ensuring proper training is given to all
individuals.
This article originally appeared in the May/June 2019 issue of Campus Security Today.