School Resource Officer (SRO)

Job Description

Job Description

Mission Statement and Goals

Mission Statement:

To promote a safe and secure learning environment for students, faculty, staff and Bethany School community.

Goals of the SRO Program:

• Ensuring a safe environment for all who attend, work at or volunteer at the School or visit the campus.
• Preventing and reducing potential harm related to incidents of school violence.
• Fostering a positive school climate based on respect for all children and adults in the School.
• Promoting a visible positive image of law enforcement interaction among students, teachers, staff and the School community.
• Providing a role model and developing a positive image for law enforcement among the student body.
• Providing valuable resources to School staff.

School Functions:

1. Maintain communication and professional relationships with parents, students, and teachers, and serve as a positive role model to students.
2. Attend school special events as needed outside of normal school day working hours, at the request of the Representative directly to the SRO.
3. Provide information concerning questions about law enforcement topics to students and staff, and advise students, staff, and faculty as needed.
4. Provide supervised classroom instruction on a variety of law-related education and other topics deemed appropriate and approved by school administrators, as directed.
5. The SRO shall respect the sensitive nature of student privacy and shall abide by all applicable confidentiality, privacy policies, and applicable laws.
6. Notify the Representative if it is necessary for the SRO to be off campus during scheduled hours, or will be absent due to personal, sick and/or vacation days. The SRO will discuss the scheduling of his or her vacation days with the School.

SRO Background/Expertise ; Professional Development

1. College or degree coursework - Since the SRO may be instructing in elementary and middle school classes, a college education would be beneficial and preferred.
2. Experience as a police officer and commitment to student well-being -The SRO must have an understanding of child and adolescent development. Experience working with youth and an interest in student success, juvenile justice, child and adolescent psychology, and creating a positive school climate are beneficial.
3. Successful performance - It is preferred that candidates have proven performance as reflected by prior performance evaluations
4. Candidates must have clean disciplinary records, devoid of any complaints about conduct involving juveniles.
5. Any SRO must complete a minimum of 40 hours of initial training within one year after appointment as set forth in Ohio Revised Code Section 3313.951. This training must be provided by one of the following entities, as approved by the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission:

• The National Association of School Resource Officers;
• The Ohio School Resource Officer Association; or
• The Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy.