ED/DOJ Letter and Resources on SROs
:ast week, the U.S. departments of Education and Justice released new letters, rubrics and resources last week related to the hiring and training of school
resource officers. In particular, any law enforcement agencies that receive
COPS funding for SROs will be required to adopt the new guidelines for SROs.
Among the resources provided are models for
crafting MOUs between schools and local law-enforcement agencies, the role of
district leaders in monitoring the actions of school-based police officers, and
how to train police in such areas as child development and conflict
de-escalation. In addition, they are urging districts to adopt a number
of specific recommendations such as:
- incorporating local, state and federal
civil rights laws into agreements with law enforcement,
- ensuring that law enforcement
officers have no role in administering formal school discipline,
- requiring SROs to receive
specialized training, including education in youth development,
- setting policies on when/how SROs
can use restraints, and
- training teachers and staff to
avoid calling SROs to assist with nonviolent disciplinary issues