School Resource Officers Deserve a Continuing Role

My View

There has been intense discussion nationwide about the future of school resource officers, especially in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer. Serious questions have been raised about the connection between officers in schools and disciplinary actions meted out to students of color and students with disabilities.

Prior to the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, most parents and community members would have been panicked if a police officer was present in a school. Columbine and the all-too-frequent school shootings since then, most recently in Oxford, Mich., changed that attitude.

As a former superintendent over 16 years in two states who worked with school resource officers and law enforcement more widely, I see the debate over the assignment of officers in schools being focused wrongly. It should not be about whether SROs are needed. Given the complex societal and safety factors that now impact schools, security officers are needed now more than ever. Rather, the debate ought to examine the role of the SRO and the qualifications, skillset and training required of the law enforcement officers serving in this position.