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Examining the Role of School Resource Officers on School Safety and Crisis Response Teams

NCJ Number
252103
Journal
Journal of School Violence Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: 2018 Pages: 139-151
Author(s)
Katie Eklund; Lauren Meyer; Kris Bosworth
Date Published
February 2017
Length
13 pages
Annotation

This study examined differences between school resource officers (SROs), school administrators, and school mental health professionals (i.e., school psychologists, school counselors, and social workers) regarding their experiences with crisis events, as well as the perceived effectiveness of crisis prevention and response strategies.

Abstract

School resource officers (SROs) are being increasingly employed in schools to respond to incidents of school violence and to help address safety concerns among students and staff. Although previous research on school safety and crisis teams has examined the role of school mental health professionals and administrators, fewer studies have evaluated the role of the SRO. In the current study, the most common crisis events across professionals included student assaults, drug offenses, and mandated child abuse and neglect reporting. Although SROs and school mental health professionals had similar ratings of school safety strategies, school administrators had less effective appraisals of crisis response plans and crisis "postvention" activities. Implications for practice and future directions for research are reviewed. (Publisher abstract modified)