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“The SRO program is intended to provide a safe environment at school and to foster positive relationships between police and those at the school, particularly the students,” the district’s administration wrote in a report to the school board. “It is part of an overall plan to address security and related problems through community policing.”
School resource officers are members of a police department specifically assigned to a school or schools. Many towns in the area already use resource officers, including Darien, New Canaan, Ridgefield and Wilton. Their exact roles differ from district to district. In general, resource officers act as something of a hybrid between a teacher, a guidance counselor, security staff and liaison between the school and the police department.
The job description calls for the officer to prepare education programs that would be included in the high school curriculum and to act as a mentor to students. The officer would also help create security plans for the school’s campus and off-campus events and would perform normal law enforcement duties if necessary.
The officer could also act way for the Weston Police as a whole, school administrators and parents to share information regarding students. Officers are also expected to “maintain a high visibility” on campus for an added safety benefit.
“They enhance security by developing a close contact with student and school personnel and by becoming an integral part of the school community,” the report adds.
The Weston Board of Education will hold a special meeting Tuesday to discuss the possibility of adding a school resource officer and to set a specific job description for the officer. The meeting is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. in the library resource center of Weston Middle School.
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