School Resource Officers

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.

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.

KYASRO Regional Map

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

School Resource Officer Resources

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.

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 program. 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