Lincoln County Middle School eighth graders write letters expressing appreciation for their school resource officer. Below are excerpts from their letters:
“A SRO in our school is making our school feel safer. An officer with special training, so that they can make sure everyone is safe. That no matter what, that person will always make sure that we are safe in our school. This is how I feel with a SRO in the building. Mr. Southerland seems very friendly, and I know if I need anybody to talk to, I can talk to him. His calm nature makes him perfect for trying to talk to others in any situation, good or bad. SROs are trained to be understanding and mindful of others, especially youths. Just being aware of this lets me know that we need an SRO for tough situations where law enforcement is involved. A SRO should be an important member of every school. They are trained to protect and serve everyone inside and outside the school.”– L.A.
“Mr. Southerland told us that he had come out of the military 19 years ago and wanted a job which involved interacting with people. Mike loves kids, and when he saw a position for an SRO, he immediately applied, and now we are blessed to have him at our school.”– A.S.
“They (SROs) provide safety for the schools and have to go through training and be qualified to be a SRO, so that they are the right fit for the job. Officer Southerland states that his job is, “To make sure you’re safe from threats from outside the school as well as from inside the school.” They’re there if you need to talk about something, all you have to do is pull them aside and they can help you out in the best way they can or find someone else that could help you better. They have to go through a number of different training classes for the different safety protocols to make sure that it is just not “anybody” on the job.” –O.S.
“School resource officers are a very good addition to schools. They all have police backgrounds and do special training for this position to make sure they can keep the school environment safe. SROs make kids and teachers feel safer when they come to school and allow people to enjoy school without having to worry about potential threats. This all shows that SROs, like officer Southerland, are beneficial to schools and allow students to focus on their school work instead of worrying about safety.” –C.P.
“SRO´s can also help kids with situations at home and give them good advice. Our SRO (Mike Southerland) here at my school has had very many friendly conversations with me and he always approaches me first and asks me about my life and asks if I need help with anything.”—D.C. – 8th grade student
“Another reason why I believe our resource officer Mike Southerland is very fit for our school is because he was in the military and said this job (SRO) was something he seemed used to and he felt confident in getting this job. Mr. Southerland said that he also wanted this job because he liked to communicate with and help students, saying he loves being able to protect and make sure that students are safe on the school grounds.” –D.S.
“One reason that school resource officers are better for kids’ safety is because they can help to prevent bullying. Bullying is a huge part of major problems at some schools, but if you have a school resource officer at your school, then you could tell him about it. If someone is having a problem they can go to Mr. Southerland and explain to him what is going on.” –C.C.
“These officers help with any emergencies there might be, whether it’s small or big. I am happy we have a school resource officer at Lincoln County Middle School and hope we will always have an SRO in our building.” –H.B.