The Case to Keep SROs
Jessica Menk '22 Staff Writer
Pulling School Resource Officers out of schools will not resolve the issues that we are facing; it will instead contribute to the problems for the students, schools and communities of Howard County.
Instead citing the issues that the officers are accused of presenting and immediately wanting them gone, people should be more concerned about why the issues are there, and how we as a community can fix them. School Resource Officers are not in the schools to scare kids and make them fearful, but to help promote a safe environment for them to work in. Taking these officers out of school would not help any of the issues being faced, but create a further divide between justice departments and the communities they work in. As a community, we should be working together to fix the divide, not further it. Removing these officers from schools would be a step in the wrong direction. The officers are there to promote learning and growth while developing relationships with the students and community. Their ability to build relationships, provide character building programs and maintain a safe environment for the students and staff are why school resource officers need to remain in Howard County Public Schools.
Officer Littlefield, an SRO who is currently working in Howard County at Wilde Lake Middle School, shared that officers are not only there to protect the school and students from outside threats, but also to help support students through various programs: An aspect which is rarely talked about. She explained one program specifically, the BearTrax program, which she is a part of. “With the BearTrax program, our feeder schools, which are the elementary schools that send the kids to the middle schools, send us names of students that potentially need more support.” Not only are the officers there to help with issues inside the building, they also are a part of supporting students that are coming into the schools and preventing issues before they occur by building relationships with students. When asked what she thought the biggest difference was between county or state police officers and school resource officers, she said, “We’re able to build a relationship. I have students that will come to me beforehand, and we can act more in a proactive rather than reactive manner.” Having officers in schools allows for relationships to be built, which creates a positive environment for the students. Officer Littlefield mentioned that she remains in contact with students who are now in college because of the relationship they were able to create while she was working as an SRO at their school.
Student perspective on the presence of the officers is another crucial aspect. Marybeth Appleyard, a current Howard High senior, says she believes that the officers should be allowed to remain in schools: “They’re a safe point for all the students to go,” said Appleyard. “I feel safer because I know that if anything happens that he’s always there to protect us.”
Evie Shedleski, a current Howard High junior, had many similar thoughts as Appleyard. When asked about Officer Lilly, Howard’s SRO last year, she said, “I really do like having him there, and I don’t know if I’d feel as safe at Howard if he wasn’t there.” Not only do some students feel safer when the officers are in the building, they also feel that without an officer present, they would not feel safe in a place that they spend the majority of their time which could, in turn, create more issues in the schools and for students.
Malaika Mbullu, a current Howard High junior, was on the fence regarding having school resource officers in the building. Although Malaika has a neutral opinion, when asked whether they should be allowed to stay in Howard County Schools, she said, “I partially do think they should be in schools because there’s lots of things that could happen at schools, unfortunate things, like school shootings. In that case we would need a school resource officer.” Even students who are not completely in favor of resource officers staying in schools still understand that having them present is sometimes needed, especially in circumstances that are beyond the control of the students or teachers — circumstances where having an officer in the building could be the difference between life and death.
The Howard High administration also has a position on this topic. When asked about whether he believed that the SROs should be allowed to remain, Mr. Novak responded by saying, “I do believe that they should be in schools. I know that it’s been a big controversial issue lately, nationally, and of course even here in Howard County. I think that’s something we need to honor, recognize, and address because I don’t think that's something that should be taken lightly.” He also said, “I want students to feel safe and secure when they come in the building, for many students, that includes having a school resource officer.” As a principal in Howard County, Mr. Novak wants to create a healthy, safe, and overall productive learning environment. For many students in his school, that safety comes from the presence of an officer in the building. He also recognizes that “school resource officers work in partnership with school administration. So it’s not just the school resource officer issue, it’s also an administration issue.” It is the responsibility of the administrative team to ensure that the school resource officers are having a positive impact on the school community and to mitigate any problems that arise.
Instead citing the issues that the officers are accused of presenting and immediately wanting them gone, people should be more concerned about why the issues are there, and how we as a community can fix them. School Resource Officers are not in the schools to scare kids and make them fearful, but to help promote a safe environment for them to work in. Taking these officers out of school would not help any of the issues being faced, but create a further divide between justice departments and the communities they work in. As a community, we should be working together to fix the divide, not further it. Removing these officers from schools would be a step in the wrong direction. The officers are there to promote learning and growth while developing relationships with the students and community. Their ability to build relationships, provide character building programs and maintain a safe environment for the students and staff are why school resource officers need to remain in Howard County Public Schools.
Officer Littlefield, an SRO who is currently working in Howard County at Wilde Lake Middle School, shared that officers are not only there to protect the school and students from outside threats, but also to help support students through various programs: An aspect which is rarely talked about. She explained one program specifically, the BearTrax program, which she is a part of. “With the BearTrax program, our feeder schools, which are the elementary schools that send the kids to the middle schools, send us names of students that potentially need more support.” Not only are the officers there to help with issues inside the building, they also are a part of supporting students that are coming into the schools and preventing issues before they occur by building relationships with students. When asked what she thought the biggest difference was between county or state police officers and school resource officers, she said, “We’re able to build a relationship. I have students that will come to me beforehand, and we can act more in a proactive rather than reactive manner.” Having officers in schools allows for relationships to be built, which creates a positive environment for the students. Officer Littlefield mentioned that she remains in contact with students who are now in college because of the relationship they were able to create while she was working as an SRO at their school.
Student perspective on the presence of the officers is another crucial aspect. Marybeth Appleyard, a current Howard High senior, says she believes that the officers should be allowed to remain in schools: “They’re a safe point for all the students to go,” said Appleyard. “I feel safer because I know that if anything happens that he’s always there to protect us.”
Evie Shedleski, a current Howard High junior, had many similar thoughts as Appleyard. When asked about Officer Lilly, Howard’s SRO last year, she said, “I really do like having him there, and I don’t know if I’d feel as safe at Howard if he wasn’t there.” Not only do some students feel safer when the officers are in the building, they also feel that without an officer present, they would not feel safe in a place that they spend the majority of their time which could, in turn, create more issues in the schools and for students.
Malaika Mbullu, a current Howard High junior, was on the fence regarding having school resource officers in the building. Although Malaika has a neutral opinion, when asked whether they should be allowed to stay in Howard County Schools, she said, “I partially do think they should be in schools because there’s lots of things that could happen at schools, unfortunate things, like school shootings. In that case we would need a school resource officer.” Even students who are not completely in favor of resource officers staying in schools still understand that having them present is sometimes needed, especially in circumstances that are beyond the control of the students or teachers — circumstances where having an officer in the building could be the difference between life and death.
The Howard High administration also has a position on this topic. When asked about whether he believed that the SROs should be allowed to remain, Mr. Novak responded by saying, “I do believe that they should be in schools. I know that it’s been a big controversial issue lately, nationally, and of course even here in Howard County. I think that’s something we need to honor, recognize, and address because I don’t think that's something that should be taken lightly.” He also said, “I want students to feel safe and secure when they come in the building, for many students, that includes having a school resource officer.” As a principal in Howard County, Mr. Novak wants to create a healthy, safe, and overall productive learning environment. For many students in his school, that safety comes from the presence of an officer in the building. He also recognizes that “school resource officers work in partnership with school administration. So it’s not just the school resource officer issue, it’s also an administration issue.” It is the responsibility of the administrative team to ensure that the school resource officers are having a positive impact on the school community and to mitigate any problems that arise.