An Introduction to SRO Programs

Course Overview: An Introduction to SRO Programs, an eLearning course, directly supports the mission of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) to provide the “highest quality of training to school-based law enforcement officers.” This course provides an overview of school-based law enforcement programs and illuminates the critical need for further SRO training.

Highlighting the unique roles and responsibilities of School Resource Officers (SROs), the training explores the benefits and challenges of SRO programs, including stakeholder concerns, and provides practical guidance on best practices that support effective use of SROs in our nation’s schools. Learners examine the three essential components of an effective SRO program, as well as discover the importance of training as a key aspect of a successful school-based law enforcement program. A diverse audience of community stakeholders involved in or seeking to be a part of school safety efforts may benefit from this course.

Learning Objectives:

• Define school resource officer
• Differentiate a School Resource Officer from a school security guard
• Review the history of school-based law enforcement programs
• Examine data related to crime in schools
• Describe the mission and goals of NASRO
• Define the triad concept of school-based policing
• Identify four different roles of a School Resource Officer in an educational setting
• Describe the responsibilities associated with each School Resource Officer role in a school-based policing program
• Apply knowledge of School Resource Officer roles and responsibilities to a scenario-based assessment
• Describe positive outcomes of partnerships between public safety organizations and schools
• Explore stakeholder concerns surrounding the presence of law enforcement in schools
• Identify recommendations for addressing concerns about law enforcement in schools
• Reflect on complex issues and how they impact the role of a School Resource Officer
• Explore collaborative best practices
• Identify the three essential components of an effective School Resource Officer program, as stated by NASRO
  
• Describe the purpose and importance of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
• Explain the importance of training as a key aspect of a successful school-based law enforcement program
• Explore key recommendations for the selection and training of School Resource Officers
• Apply knowledge of best practices to a scenario-based assessment
• Describe the purpose of the NASRO Standards and Best Practices
• Summarize the benefits of adopting the NASRO Standards and Best Practices
• Summarize the training offerings of the NASRO

Target Audience: School resource officers, school resource officer supervisors, school administrators, parents, and community stakeholders.

Cooperative Partners: This tuition-free online training was developed by the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) and was originally supported by cooperative agreement 2018-CK-WXK-003 by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS).

Learning Hours: 3 hours including the pre-test and post-test.

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