General Description

The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services is pleased to announce the School Resource Officer and School Administrator Basic Course.  This four and a half day course focuses on working with youth, school safety, school law, and in particular, the functions of School Resource Officers and School Administrators in a PreK-12 school environment. This course is required for all law enforcement officers assigned as SROs to a Virginia public school and includes the following content mandated by the Code of Virginia: 

(i) relevant state and federal laws;

(ii) school and personal liability issues; 

(iii) security awareness in the school environment; 

(iv) mediation and conflict resolution, including de-escalation techniques; 

(v) disaster and emergency response; 

(vi) awareness of systemic and individual racism, cultural diversity, and implicit bias; 

(vii) working with students with disabilities, mental health needs, substance use disorders, or past traumatic experiences; and 

(viii) student behavioral dynamics, including current child and adolescent development and brain research

Intended Audience

This training is intended for:

• Current and future School Resource Officers (SROs) – SRO participants will receive a certificate and Partial In-Service Credit for participation in all segments of this training.  Must be a certified law enforcement officer. ​

• School Administrators who seek an understanding of these essential personnel roles and components of a safe school environment.  A certificate of participation will be provided.  Must be currently employed in a public or private school.

​NOTE: Individuals employed as School Security Officers will need to complete the 2-day SSO class to meet their certification requirements. For more information, please visit the School Security Officer (SSO) Certification Program page. 

Partial In-service Credit

Certified law enforcement officers will receive 32 hours of (PIC) in-service training credit. (This includes 26 hours of career development, 4 hours of legal, and 2 hours of cultural diversity )

Travel, Lodging and Meals

Transportation, lodging, and meals are the responsibility of the participant.

Times

Registration begins at 7:30 am and runs until the session begins at 8:00 am on Monday.

Class time is 8:00 am - 4:30 pm on Monday - Thursday, and 8:00 am - 12:00 pm on Friday.

Cost and Registration

There is no fee associated with this training. Pre-registration is required.

Please note that the DCJS registration system does not have the capacity to sort eligible from ineligible registrants. Therefore, anyone who registers will receive a confirmation. It is the responsibility of the DCJS assigned course director to review the roster and make a final determination on acceptance into the course. Registrants not accepted will be notified via the email address provided during registration.