Kentucky Revised Statute 158.441 defines an SRO as “a sworn law enforcement officer who has specialized training to work with youth at a school site.” It also stipulates that “the officer shall be employed through a contract between a local law enforcement agency and a school district.” The statutory language was extremely important to the development of the SRO program for three reasons: 1) it required SROs to have specialized training; 2) it recognized the importance of having a written contract between the two agencies to clarify the duties of the officer; and 3) it formally recognized SROs as a specialized field of law enforcement.
There are currently 841 reported SRO positions in school districts, plus Model Lab School at EKU. 1/3 of SROs are employed by their respective sheriff’s department or local/county police agencies. The remainder are employed by school-based law enforcement agencies.
For more information contact Lee Ann Morrison at the Kentucky Center for School Safety.
The Department of Criminal Justice Training has long offered training that targets the specific needs of school resource officers (SRO). Now, thanks to the School Safety and Resilience Act passed in 2019, that training has been updated and expanded to serve today’s schoolchildren and administrators.
Three levels of training are now offered to active, certified law enforcement serving as school resource officers. All SROs are required to take the SRO 1 in-service course within one year from their assignment date. SRO 2 and SRO 3 will be required as in-service for the following two years.
SRO training includes new topics such as working with special-needs students, mental health awareness and trauma-informed action. Firearms and defensive tactics refresher training also will be included.
ELIGIBILITY:
To attend SRO training, officers must be a Peace Officer Professional Standards-certified, sworn law enforcement officer or a special law enforcement officer appointed pursuant to KRS 61.902.
Kentucky Center for School Safety is proud to share quotes written in support of SROs in schools by eighth-grade students from Lincoln County Middle School.
For the last few years, the Kentucky Center for School Safety has recognized several SRO programs across the state as an SRO Promising Program. This year we would like to recognize ONE program to be recognized with a monetary award ($1000) and recognition at the 2025 summer conference in Georgetown, KY. Please note, if you are program has already received this award, you are not eligible at this time. All applications must be received via email to the Kentucky Center for School Safety no later than April 4, 2025.
Download Promising Programs Application FY25
Download SRO Program Rubric
The Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers is taking nominations for: SRO of the Year for the 6 designated regions in Kentucky. In addition to the regional awards, a state SRO of the Year will be selected from these applications. Awards also include Educator/School Administrator of the Year and Rookie SRO of the Year. Nomination deadline: April 11, 2025.
The Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers (KYASRO) is offering two (2) $500.00 scholarships for seniors. Students are nominated by their School Resource Officer (SRO) based on their contribution to safety or crime prevention in their school. SROs should collaborate with their high school counselors and other school administrators/staff regarding qualified applicants. The scholarship will be announced no later than April 11, 2025. The nominating SRO must be a member of KYASRO. For membership information, please contact Lee Ann Morrison at 1-877-805-4277 or visit www.kyasro.com.
Download Scholarship Flyer
Download 2025 Sticklen/Shipp Memorial Scholarship Application
The current SRO Annual Report was published in March, 2024. Researchers from the Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS) conducted a panel study examining the attributes of School Resource Officers throughout the state of Kentucky. Valuable information can be gleaned from within this report on current trends, practices and funding levels. 2022 SRO Annual Report
The Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers has a Board of Directors consisting of fifteen members to direct that organization. Download KYASRO Brochure
In Fiscal Year 2025, KY has 841 SROs that cover 613 campuses.
| Fiscal Year | Number of SROs on KY K-12 Campuses |
| 2013 | 240 |
| 2014 | 246 |
| 2015 | 263 |
| 2016 | 247 |
| 2017 | 240 |
| 2018 | 260 |
| 2019 | 412 |
| 2020 | 473 |
| 2021 | 499 |
| 2022 | 523 |
| 2023 | 686 |
| 2024 | 830 |
| 2025 | 841 |
The KYASRO Regional Map is divided into six regions. These regions are used for training and networking purposes.
October is Crime Prevention Month, a perfect time to Celebrate Safe Communities (CSC). Celebrate Safe Communities is a national initiative of the National Crime Prevention Council and the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, and was developed in partnership with the National Sheriffs’ Association in 2008. CSC is an annual event.
NEW WEBSITE: The Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers, or KYASRO, is dedicated to the support of SROs throughout the Commonwealth. KYASRO seeks to off a forum for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and information regarding best practices for School Based Law Enforcement Officers.
Kentucky Revised Statute 158.441 requires that the local law enforcement agency and schools have a written contract. A model SRO contract has been developed and can be modified to meet the needs of individual districts and agencies. You may obtain a copy of this template from KCSS.
