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.

Affinity for Youth

An effective SRO must first and foremost be a law enforcement professional who truly wants to work with young people. An individual whose default mindset about students is negative will not be productive in a school setting and will likely do more harm than good. An SRO should not be a law enforcement officer who has grown tired of street duty and wants a less-demanding assignment.

An SRO must be an effective communicator and an active, empathetic listener who values and respects the perspectives of others. The interpersonal skills are vital.

Beyond these attributes, SROs need specialized training that prepares them to work with students and schools. The standard law enforcement training regimen alone will not be sufficient. The situations encountered inside schools differ considerably from those faced in the wider community.

Appropriate ongoing training should focus on child and adolescent psychology, cultural awareness, recognizing the traits of students experiencing mental health and substance problems, bullying prevention and conflict deescalating practices. Officers with second language skills would be a welcome fit in schools with English language learners. Diverse settings should be served by officers from diverse cultural backgrounds.

A Problem Preventer

SROs need to be highly visible and familiar with both their school and the geographic area served by the school. They must be able to develop connections and relationships with students, staff, the school community and the local nonprofit and government agencies that serve students and their families.

Further, SROs need to be able to use these connections and relationships to prevent problems in the school versus simply reacting to problems as they arise. An effective SRO will know about situations in the school and the community that could create disruption or cause harm so proactive steps can be taken to defuse the situations.

Unquestionably, SROs need to address criminal and legal matters that occur on school property. However, SROs should not be expected to address routine discipline matters that should be handled by building administration. 

The majority of student-related problems involving SROs that I’ve seen entailed circumstances involving students that should have been handled by building administrators.

In one unfortunate instance at a high school not far from my district in South Carolina, an SRO was called to remove a non-violent student who had refused a staff member’s order to go to the principal’s office. The confrontation turned physical. Major lawsuits followed. The incident never should have occurred. The student was not a danger to himself or others, simply not compliant.

Ultimately, school resource officers must present the very best face of law enforcement to young people, especially in communities where the relationship with police has become strained. An effective SRO can be instrumental in rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the community, something that is desperately needed right now.

A Short-Sighted Act

I fear that instead of analyzing what has been learned over the past 20 years to better define and improve the school resource officer function, we’re seeing a knee-jerk reaction in some places. Simply eliminating SROs does not resolve the underlying safety needs.

This would be short-sighted and not in the best interests of students and the well-being of schools and their larger communities.

FRANK MORGAN is a retired superintendent based in Richmond, Va.