An Introduction to SROs in Maryland
The topic of police in schools is currently in the news. Below, please find introductory information about the nature of work conducted by School Resource Officers (SROs) in the State of Maryland. Those honored to carry the title SRO in Maryland benefit from holistic education and training specific to the unique, important, and varied roles that SROs fulfill in Maryland’s twenty-four diverse local school systems.
● The Safe to Learn Act of 2018 mandates either the assignment of an SRO or adequate law enforcement coverage for each individual school within each of Maryland’s twenty-four local school systems.
● SROs and school security employees in Maryland receive instruction in Maryland’s five-day SRO training curriculum; yet, individuals providing “adequate law enforcement coverage” to schools without assigned SROs are not required to complete this comprehensive training.
● Topics required by law to be covered in Maryland’s SRO training curriculum include De-escalation, Disability Awareness, Maintaining a Positive School Climate, Constructive Interactions with Students, Implicit Bias, and Disability and Diversity Awareness with specific attention to Racial and Ethnic Disparities.
● Maryland’s SRO training prepares the SRO to fulfill four distinct roles within a school community:
1. The Role of Educator
2. The Role of Emergency Manager
3. The Role of Informal Counselor
4. The Role of Law Enforcement
● Any Maryland school without assigned SROs would still need to ensure that an individual with expertise in law enforcement was assigned to serve on the behavioral threat assessment teams serving the school system in order for the school system to comply with the Safe to Learn Act; currently SROs fill these important roles on such interdisciplinary teams.