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Ilmo, South Carolina – Many positions are currently struggling to recruit, and school resource officers (SROs) are no exception.
Schools across the country are struggling to find someone to protect their students. School District 5 of the Lexington-Richland School District in South Carolina did not have enough delegates to cover four schools, so the district uses a private security company to compensate.
“We recognize that they are not fully trained in SROs, but we would rather have armed guards than none,” said district superintendent Dr. Akil Roth. Told.
Why isn’t private security as ideal as SROs? Superintendent Ross says SROs are specially trained to work with children.
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“How to deal with stress, how to deal with social and emotional problems, and working with those students,” Ross said.
School districts in states such as Oregon, New Mexico, Tennessee, and Georgia reported shortages of SROs at some point this year. Local law enforcement generally struggles to hire new officers. According to the National Association of School Resource Officers, most SROs come from local agencies.
Mo Canady, Executive Director of NASRO, who has overseen the SRO program in Alabama for 12 years, said:
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Canady calls the job crisis unprecedented. He advises his current SRO to consider talking to his colleagues.
“SROs can be in the best category for recruiting fellow executives,” he said.
Canady said police numbers could drop because they are not being viewed in a positive light. Superintendent Ross stands ready to address her SRO shortfall in the long term.
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“If I had to go with the Private Guard, if I had to go with the soldiers, I would do anything,” Ross said.
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School districts have committed millions of dollars to hardening campuses, which could include reinforcing doorways and installing metal detectors, Ross said.