School Resource Officers

Overview

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 789 reported SRO positions in school districts, plus Model Lab School at EKU. More than a third (37.0%) of them are employed by their respective sheriff’s department or local/county police agencies (32.9%). The remainder are employed by school-based law enforcement agencies.

For more information contact Lee Ann Morrison at the Kentucky Center for School Safety.

Back to School Celebrated Across Kentucky

(Click on picture for fullscreen slideshow)

Required SRO Training

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.

2024 SRO Promising Programs

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 2024 summer conference in Georgetown, KY. Please note, if you are program has already received this award, you are not eligible at this time.

Download Promising Programs Application FY24
Download SRO Program Rubric

Quotes from Students in Support of SROs

RES KCSS Lincoln County Middle School Students SRO Letters Handout

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.

Download handout

School Resource Officer Annual Report

The current SRO Annual Report was published in April, 2022. 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.

Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers

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 2024, KY has 789 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

789

KYASRO Regional Map

The KYASRO Regional Map is divided into six regions. These regions are used for training and networking purposes.

Crime Prevention Month

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.

School Resource Officer Resources

NEW WEBSITEThe 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.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS (a brief highlighting the positive impact of SROs authored by The Institute for Preventive Strategies ) School Resource Officers (SRO’s) play a very important role in the safety of our schools. Collaboration between schools and law enforcement is a major step to increasing school security and preventing acts of terrorism or violence within schools. The Institute for Preventive Strategies is a national service of the Center for Rural Development, a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Somerset Kentucky.

Model SRO programs across the state that can provide important advice and information for new or fledgling programs. The Center has developed a set of standards for SRO programs which can be used to assess the quality of the programs.

Article: School Resource Officers: A Vital Part of School Safety