School Security Resource Officer
: Job Details :

GENERAL SUMMARY A School Resource Officer (SRO) is defined under 12 NCAC 10B .0510 and in 12 NCAC 09B .0313 as follows: any law enforcement officer assigned to one or more public schools within a local school administrative unit, as defined in G.S. 115C-5(6), who works in a school at least 20 hours per week for more than 12 weeks per calendar year to assist with all of the following: (1) School safety; (2) School security; (3) Emergency preparedness; (4) Emergency response; and (5) Any additional responsibilities related to school safety or security assigned by the officer's employer while the officer is acting as a School Resource Officer. A deputy sheriff must hold General Certification with the Sheriffs' Standards Commission and a police officer must hold General Certification with the Criminal Justice Standards Commission. Additionally, he/she must complete the Basic School Resource Officer Training course authored by the North Carolina Justice Academy within one year of being appointed as an SRO. A SRO must complete refresher SRO training yearly, maintain minimum in-service training and certification requirements as would normally apply to all other certified deputy sheriffs or police officers, and any training and certification required under state law or as required by the school district. At RRGSD, the position of SRO is primarily a professional one with technical and diversified duties and responsibilities demanding the use of numerous and various types of procedures. A SRO's central mission is to keep order on campus with the legal authority to arrest, if necessary. Employees acting in this position must be able to differentiate what constitutes a crime and what incidents are school conduct violations. They must use good professional judgment in the analysis of facts and their application(s) to regulation(s) to determine a proper course of action. The position requires interpersonal contact both within and outside the organization, which requires considerable tact and persuasion to obtain consent or approval. Employees acting in this position must work toward previously defined objectives with general supervision and within operating procedure, plan and execute their own work, refer new and unusual cases to the principal, Director of Student Services, or Superintendent and/or to law enforcement contacts, and be able to work independently. The position has frequent exposure to risk situations; the impact of the incumbent's decision(s) minimally affect the operation of the organization. The worker may be exposed to danger with potential for bodily injury or even death to acts of The Roanoke Rapids Graded School District is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, color, age or disability. For inquiries about Title IX contact Tracy Kidd 536 Hamilton Street, Roanoke Rapids, NC 27870 Phone: 252-###-#### aggression on the part of others or to exposure to disasters such as fires, explosions, etc. Work involves moderate physical strain and requires some strength and endurance included but not limited to the following: ? Lifting: Must be able to lift and carry up to 50 pounds regularly and occasionally lift up to 70 pounds to shoulder height ? Mobility: Requires frequent walking, standing, and the ability to move quickly in response to emergencies. Must be able to climb stairs, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as needed. ? Endurance: Ability to work in various environmental conditions, including exposure to noise, heat, cold, and inclement weather. ? Vision and Hearing: Must have close, moderate, and distance vision abilities, as well as the ability to communicate effectively in noisy environments DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES ? Patrols and monitors school buildings, grounds and parking lots to deter, detect, report and stop violations of the law and/or school board policies. ? Assists administrators and staff in crisis and emergency situations. ? Supervises and directs pupil and visitor movement. ? Notifies the administrative staff, police, fire department, or other appropriate authorities of security or emergency situations. ? Investigates student violations of school board policies and prepares reports of the results. ? Works with school administrators and law enforcement officials in handling serious student offenses and law violations. ? Testifies in court and/or at School Disciplinary Review hearings, as required. ? Assists with implementing emergency response protocols to include evacuation, severe weather, hold-in place, secured perimeter, lockdown, reunification and other emergency response procedures (drills, exercises and actual events). ? Supervises students in assigned locations when necessary and provides traffic control and visibility during the arrival and departure of students and at other high-traffic times including breakfast, lunch, and class transitions ? Monitors video surveillance for the purpose of contributing to a safe environment. ? Provides leadership and guidance to emergency management teams in each building. ? Supports teachers and administrators in maintaining positive school culture to include managing student behavior that compromises the safety and security of the school environment. ? Maintains security records, logs and reports. ? Attends and successfully completes all staff development training as required by state law or directed by the Director of Student Services. ? Abides by all board policies, employee handbooks, supervisor directives and post orders. ? Reads and responds to email communications. ? Maintains compliance with all laws and district policies related to carrying a firearm and/or other law enforcement tactical equipment or weapons. ? Conducts systematic safety and security audits and facility checks for the purpose of identifying opportunities for improving the safety and welfare of the school community. ? Assists in the development and implementation of all school security action plans (before school, during school, after school, events). ? Provides emergency care when necessary to include CPR, basic first aid, de-escalation strategies, and crisis care. ? Escorts students, assigned staff and/or visitors for the purpose of ensuring student, staff and overall site security. ? Monitors student behavior during and between assigned class periods and at student events for the purpose of ensuring student compliance with established guidelines, regulatory requirements, maintaining a safe and positive learning environment, and a safe and orderly school setting. ? Participates and responds as a crisis team member to implement appropriate protocols and responds to incidents that could potentially compromise the safety and well-being of the school community. ? Consistent and regular attendance is an essential function of this position. ? Required to use the Time Clocking system for clocking in and out each day scheduled to work. Clocking must reflect true time worked. ? Ability to work to implement the vision, mission, and values of the district ? Protect lives and property for the citizens and public school students ? Enforce Federal, State, and Local criminal laws and ordinances ? Assist school officials with administrative regulations regarding student conduct ? Report suspected potential criminal conduct to the Roanoke Rapids Police Department for their investigation ? Be a law-related educator ? Be a community liaison and role model ? Counsel public school students in special situations ? Provide security for special school events or functions and works evenings or weekends as needed ? Provide a visible presence within the school building at all times (e.g., walking the hallways at least every hour) ? Prevent juvenile delinquency through close contact with students and school personnel ? Establish liaison with school principals, faculty, and staff ? Inform students of their rights and responsibilities as lawful citizens ? Be a resource to the principal for law-enforcement related issues at school ? Assist administration and faculty in formulating criminal justice programs ? Formulate crime prevention programs ? Coordinate all law enforcement response/service at their school including assisting staff with reporting potential criminal conduct including child abuse to relevant law enforcement agencies ? Prevent duplication of effort and provide coordination of law related services ? Ensure the investigation and enforcement of criminal law violations by coordinating with the relevant law enforcement agency ? Provide necessary follow-up investigation as required ? Remain abreast of investigations involving students at their school ? Be aware of demographics and distinctive characteristics of the student body ? Provide visible deterrence to crime ? Present a positive impression of a uniformed law enforcement officer at the school ? Remains on their assigned RRGSD campus unless approved by building or district administration ? Submits reports as requested, and attends meetings/trainings as directed ? Demonstrates professionalism and appropriate judgment in behavior, speech, dress, and problem-solving ? Performs other duties assigned by building or district administration BOARD/DISTRICT EXPECTATIONS OF THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER WHILE SERVING ON CAMPUS 1. SRO Work Hours. Uniforms and Visibility on Campus. Each SRO shall remain on the school grounds during normal school hours and the hours identified for that school campus's employees, except when necessary to attend any meetings or trainings approved by the principal or otherwise required or approved by the certifying law enforcement agency, or on occasions when, at the discretion and direction of the certifying law enforcement agency, the officer is needed to attend to official law enforcement business off-campus. With the exception of emergency situations out of the SRO's control, each SRO shall give the principal or designee reasonable advance notice of any times when the SRO is not expected to be on campus during normal school hours. Each SRO shall wear the official law enforcement uniform or other apparel issued by RRGSD or the certifying law enforcement agency at all times while serving on Board property and shall make best efforts to maintain high visibility at all times when practical and safe to do so, especially in areas where incidents of crime or violence are most likely to occur. Each SRO shall, whenever possible and in accordance with guidance from the school principal or designee, participate in or attend school functions during the SRO's regular duty hours, in order to assure the peaceful operation of school-related programs. 2. Law Enforcement Actions and Safety Interventions. Each SRO may initiate appropriate law enforcement actions to address criminal matters, including but not limited to matters that threaten the safety and security of the school or its occupants, and/or intervene with staff or students (with or without a referral from school staff) when necessary to ensure the immediate safety of persons in the school environment in light of an actual or imminent threat to health or safety. Any such intervention shall reasonably take into consideration the nature of the circumstances presented, the physical safety of members within the school community, and any unintended negative effects on students. All law enforcement actions and interventions to protect the safety of others shall be consistent with all applicable laws, policies, regulations, and procedures. Use of force may be implemented pursuant to the certifying law enforcement agency's procedures and protocol as well as all applicable laws, if objectively reasonable based on the totality of the circumstances and shall not be excessive, arbitrary, or malicious. The SRO also shall, whenever possible, advise the principal before requesting additional law enforcement assistance on campus and shall request such assistance only when necessary to protect the safety or security of those present on the school campus, including the SRO. Any suspicious behavior should be reported to the principal, Lead SRO, Director of Student Services, Director of Human Resources, or Superintendent in a reasonable timeframe (i.e., immediately or at least within 48 hours). a. Investigations and Arrests. Criminal investigations and arrests by SROs will be conducted in accordance with all applicable legal requirements, including all applicable laws, policies, regulations, and procedures governing the use of force, interrogations, searches, and arrests. The SRO shall promptly notify appropriate school authorities whenever a SRO asks a student questions of an investigative nature or takes any direct law enforcement action against a student; however, notification may be withheld until deemed appropriate by the SRO if such notification would endanger a student or any other person. The appropriate school authorities shall promptly notify the parent(s) or guardian of any student suspected of criminal wrongdoing, whenever a SRO asks a student questions of an investigative nature or takes any direct action against any student suspected of criminal wrongdoing. SROs and school administrators shall collaborate and determine how such notice should be given in each individual circumstance. SROs shall comply with Miranda and juvenile Miranda rules whenever applicable in the course of questioning students suspected of criminal wrongdoing. If a SRO questions, searches, or arrests a student at school, all reasonable efforts will be made to remove the student from other students and bystanders or otherwise to not bring undue attention to the student. b. Searches. SROs shall be aware of and comply with all laws and standards regarding searches of persons and property while performing services. In particular, SROs shall be aware of the differing standards governing searches by law enforcement officers for law enforcement purposes as compared with searches by school administrators in connection with student discipline. At no time shall any SRO request that any RRGSD employee lead or conduct a search of a student for law enforcement purposes. c. Interrogations. In cases where the parent(s) or guardian cannot be reached and any questioning of a student is conducted without parental notification, the school principal or designee must be present during the questioning unless the SRO directs otherwise for safety or investigative reasons. Presence of the principal/designee does not in any way impact the SRO's duty, if applicable in the situation, to comply with the student's Miranda or juvenile Miranda rights. At no time shall the SRO request that any RRGSD employee act as an agent of the SRO or law enforcement in any interrogation. d. Non-school Investigations. The SRO shall refrain from questioning students or others at school regarding non-school related matters unless the SRO has a warrant or unless questioning, searching or arresting a student on school property at that time is necessary, in the discretion of the SRO, for the success of a law enforcement investigation or to prevent injury or crime. 3. School Discipline. The school administrator shall be solely responsible for implementing the Board's Code of Conduct and discipline policies. The school administration, not the SRO, has primary responsibility for maintaining order in the school environment and for investigating and responding to school disciplinary matters. The SRO shall refer any reports or concerns relating to student discipline to the principal or designee and shall not independently investigate or administer consequences for violations of the Board's Code of Conduct or any school disciplinary rules. The SRO should generally not have any further involvement in routine disciplinary matters, such as tardiness, loitering, noncompliance, the use of inappropriate language, dress code violations, minor classroom disruptions, and disrespectful behaviors and other similar minor infractions of school rules. School officials shall only request SRO assistance when a threat or reasonable belief of a threat to the physical safety of staff, students, or others in the school environment exists. a. Searches. SROs shall only be involved in searches conducted by school personnel if a suspected criminal act is involved, or school personnel requests the assistance of the SRO to maintain a safe and secure environment for students, staff, and visitors. b. Interrogations. The SRO will not be involved in questioning of students initiated and conducted by school personnel in disciplinary matters unless requested by the school personnel to maintain a safe and secure school environment. If the SRO's presence is requested under these circumstances, the SRO shall confine his or her involvement to what is reasonably necessary to protect the safety and security of members of the school community and shall not lead the investigation or actively question students. 4. Joint Law Enforcement and School Discipline Investigations. In cases where school disciplinary investigations and law enforcement investigations into criminal activity overlap and relate to matters affecting health or safety (e.g., when both the school administration and SRO are investigating matters related to the presence of drugs or weapons on campus), it may be appropriate for school administrators and SROs to work in tandem. In such events, the criminal investigation takes precedence over school disciplinary issues. In such circumstances, the SRO shall be mindful of and clarify his or her role as a law enforcement officer conducting a law enforcement investigation when interviewing witnesses, particularly students suspected of criminal wrongdoing. The SRO shall also adhere to all appropriate laws and standards governing law enforcement investigations and not assume that laws and standards that govern school disciplinary investigations will also apply to him or her in the course of conducting a criminal investigation. 5. Development of School Safety Plans. The SRO shall report any safety concerns to the school principal and or designee and shall confer with the school principal to develop plans and strategies to prevent and/or minimize dangerous situations on or near the campus or involving students at school-related activities. The school principal will contact any other school system personnel who should be involved in these discussions. 6. Confidentiality; Access to Student Records. The SRO shall comply with all applicable laws, policies, regulations, and procedures, including but not limited to those regarding access to confidential student records, provided that SROs shall under no circumstances be required or expected to act in a manner inconsistent with their duties as law enforcement officers. The SRO may have access to confidential student records or to any personally identifiable information of any RRGSD student as defined in 34 CFR 99.3, only to the extent allowed under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and applicable Board policies and procedures. SROs shall not automatically have access to confidential student records or personally identifiable information in those records, or other confidential school system records or the personally identifiable information those records may contain, simply because they are conducting a criminal investigation involving a student or for general non-specific purposes. School officials may, however, share relevant confidential student records and personally identifiable information contained in those student records with SROs under any of the following circumstances: a. The SRO is acting as a school official (as it relates to accessing student records) as defined in 34 CFR 99.31 because he or she is exercising a function that would otherwise be performed by school personnel and has legitimate educational interests in the information to be disclosed. For example, a SRO may be authorized to review the Behavior Intervention Plan of a student with a disability if the principal or designee has requested the SRO's assistance in deescalating physical conflicts and ensuring the physical safety of the student and others when the student becomes involved in interpersonal conflicts. b. The SRO has written consent from a parent or eligible student to review the records or information in question. c. The principal or designee reasonably determines that disclosure of the student information to the SRO without parental consent is necessary in light of a significant and articulable threat to one or more person's health or safety. d. The disclosure is made pursuant to a valid subpoena or court order, provided that advance notice of compliance is provided to the parent or eligible student so that they may seek protective action from the court, unless the court has ordered the existence or the contents of the subpoena or the information furnished in response to the subpoena not be disclosed. e. The information disclosed is directory information as defined by Board Policy 4700, and the parent or eligible student has not opted out of the disclosure of directory information. f. The disclosure is otherwise authorized under FERPA, its implementing regulations, and applicable RRGSD policies and procedures. 7. Certifications. The SRO is expected to carry a fireman as authorized by the certifying law enforcement agency at all times while serving in the SRO capacity. The SRO will provide copies of all training records and weapons certifications to Human Resources at least yearly. The SRO will not carry weapons or bring weapons onto school campuses for which they are not currently certified to use in their capacity as a law enforcement officer. The SRO must follow the rules and procedures as outlined as by certifying law enforcement agency. 8. Vehicles. The SRO may be provided with a district vehicle to drive between home and school and on official school business in order to respond to after-hours emergencies located on the school campuses during the SRO's months of employment (i.e., during the summer months, vehicles will remain on school district campuses). Vehicles of the school system will be insured and maintained by the RRGSD Maintenance Department, who will conduct vehicle inspections on a routine basis. The SRO will be responsible for documenting mileage every day. REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES ? Knowledge of applicable Federal, State, and Local codes used in pursuing and convicting perpetrators in the appropriate court ? Knowledge of administrative and operational policies and procedures ? Knowledge and skill of laws of arrest, probable cause, and search and seizure issues used in the enforcement of laws and in the school setting ? Knowledge of law enforcement operations, duties, and responsibilities ? Knowledge of roads and addresses of the city ? Knowledge of the Juvenile Handbook for the School Administration MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS ? High school diploma or GED equivalent ? Must possess a valid driver's license ? Must obtain and maintain SRO certification ? Must be a certified law enforcement officer through an agency with which RRGSD has a MOU PREFERRED QUALIFICATION ? Completion of two years college in Administration of Justice or equivalent ? Prior experience as a law enforcement officer DISCLAIMER The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.