Brown County Schools is getting another tool to improve the “safety and wellness” of the students in its care.
The district has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Indiana Department of Homeland Security to hire a school resource officer.
This grant is a win for the county as a whole, not just the school system, Superintendent Laura Hammack told the Brown County Council last week. When school is not in session, the plan is to have the officer work with sheriff’s deputies to carry out their regular duties around the county, she said.
“It’s going to be a valuable tool for us,” said county council President Keith Baker, who also volunteers as a sheriff’s deputy. The county has just 10 paid road deputies, and activity has been up about 30 percent, he said. “This is a big game changer.”
The officer will be an employee of the Brown County Sheriff’s Department.
He or she will be based at Brown County High School, but will be able to respond to any school if needed, Hammack said.
The officer’s focus will be on building relationships with students and parents, so the person who is hired will need to have a special love for connecting with young people, she said.
The three elementary schools have had volunteer “school cops” visiting them about once a week for several years, said Baker, whose wife, Andrea, is one of them. This paid, armed school resource officer would supplement that presence.
New high school Principal Matt Stark said it will take a “special individual” to fill the role. “I think our goal not only at the high school, but also as a district, is that we find a person who is willing to build relationships with students. I think that is critically important,” he said July 17.
Stark said it is a “little sad” for him that a school resource officer would be needed due to “the nature of school violence and also drugs that are within our schools,” but those factors are detrimental to getting an education.
“When you feel safe, you teach better. You learn better. You work harder. If you don’t feel safe, that is a big concern,” he said.
A school resource officer is another adult students can connect with in a positive way during the school day, Stark said.
“My hope is with building relationships that continued feeling of safety and security will help,” he said.
Hammack and the school board have been working on implementing a range of security measures since last school year. Students and staff are being trained in the ALICE method of responding to an active shooter on campus; security film is being added to windows; some school entryways are being modified to increase safety; new check-in procedures are being implemented in school offices; and more people on campus will be able to call a lockdown in case of a possible threat. She describes those in more detail in her Superintendent’s Corner column.
Hammack told the county council she was surprised to learn that more than 40 percent of Indiana public schools have a school resource officer. In her research, she’s found that SROs’ presence also results in fewer petty crimes like vandalism and theft.
The “match” to the state’s $50,000 grant is coming from the school district — $25,000 cash and $25,000 in services, such as providing an office space and access to technology for the officer, Hammack said. The county will be responsible for paying for the officer’s equipment, such as firearms and uniform, Baker said.
The grant is for one year, but Hammack said it’s very unlikely it wouldn’t be renewed as long as the required reports are turned in and the money is used as it was intended.
The SRO will have to complete intensive training, including a 40-hour program specifically for school resource officers, and regular police training, Hammack said. That will be paid for by the grant. The sheriff’s department planned to post the job as soon as possible.
Baker said they want to get the officer in place this fall if they are able.
Reporter-photographer Suzannah Couch contributed to this story.
