School Resource Officers

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School resource officer is defined in § 9.1-101, Code of Virginia, as:

“School resource officer” means a certified law enforcement officer hired by the local law enforcement agency to provide law enforcement and security services to Virginia public elementary and secondary schools.

Understanding key words from the statutory definition, a SRO must:

Be a certified law enforcement officer. SROs have met all requirements to be a law enforcement officer and have authority set forth in state law, including the authority to arrest. Law enforcement officers are “responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the enforcement of the penal, traffic or highway laws of the Commonwealth.” (§ 9.1-101, Code of Virginia)
Be employed by a local law enforcement agency. SROs are law enforcement officers who are employed by a local law enforcement agency. They are assigned by the law enforcement agency to work in one or more schools but remain under the administrative control of the law enforcement agency.
Provide law enforcement and security services to public elementary or secondary schools. Note the SRO is defined as providing both law enforcement and security services.
Where there is both an assigned SRO and an SSO, the division and coordination of security responsibilities is to be determined collaboratively and should be defined in both school policies and procedures and the interagency memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the school division and law enforcement agency.

SRO and School-Law Enforcement Partnership Resources

Information Sharing Guide for K-12 Public Schools

Virginia School-Law Enforcement Partnership Guide

School-Law Enforcement Partnership Model Memorandum of Understanding - pdf (Revised 11/2023)

An Investigation of School Resource and Safety Programs Policy and Practice in Virginia (U.S. Department of Justice - Office of Justice Programs)

4th Amendment for School Administrators 2022

DOJ COPS Office 2022 Guiding Principles for School Resource Officer Programs

SRO and School Administrator Basic School - Upcoming Training Schedule

November 27-December 1, 2023 in Hampton, VA

February 26-March 1, 2024 in Salem, VA

March 25-29, 2024 in Nokesville, VA

May 20-24, 2024 in Chesterfield, VA

June 24-28, 2024 in Tidewater Region, VA

July 15-19, 2024 in Southwest Region, VA

August 19-23, 2024 in Northern Virginia, VA

September 9-13, 2024 in Henrico, VA

School Resource Officer Video Series from the National School Safety Training Center

Cultural Differences: Who Knew? As a School Resource Officer (SRO), you are vital in bridging cultural differences and creating a climate of inclusion, ultimately making your school a safer and richer place.
Why Aren't They Telling You? In this video, learn more about what goes through a students’ mind when they hear something disturbing but choose not to report it, and the different ways you can remove barriers and build trust between yourself and your students.
The First Five Things An SRO Should Do You’ve been assigned to a school as a new School Resource Officer (SRO). Now what? In this video, learn the first five steps you should take as a new SRO. SRO Poster – The First 5 Things
The Teen Brain Unlike traditional law enforcement officials, School Resource Officers (SROs) work almost exclusively with young people, so it is crucial they understand how students think and make decisions. But that is no easy task.
The Next Five Things An SRO Should Do In an earlier video in our SRO series, you learned the first five things an SRO should do. This last video of the series shares the next five things you should do, including understanding school rules and the law, joining the threat assessment team, understanding safety plans, and being confident in your role. SRO Poster - The Next Five Things An SRO Should Do