Gov. Beshear, Department of Criminal Justice Training Announce 22 Officers Graduate from the School Resource Officer Training
On August 26, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) announced that 22 law enforcement officers from agencies across the commonwealth assigned to specific school campuses graduated the seventh School Resource Officer (SRO) III Training. The graduating officers have completed the 120 hours of state mandated training over a three-year timeframe (SRO I, SRO II and SRO III), making them fully certified to work in Kentucky’s school systems.
“The safety and well-being of Kentucky’s schools is a matter of great importance to me and Lieutenant Governor Coleman,” Gov. Beshear said. “Your efforts to keep schools safe does not go unnoticed. Thank you for protecting Kentucky’s most vulnerable population, our youth.”
DOCJT’s SRO training targets the specific needs of officers who are assigned to provide safety and security to the students and staff located inside a school. The SRO courses were revamped after the School Safety and Resilience Act passed in 2019. That year, the training was updated and expanded to serve today’s schoolchildren and administrators. The three levels of training are now offered to active, certified law enforcement serving as school resource officers. All SROs must complete the SRO I in-service course within one year of their start date. SRO II and SRO III training courses are required to be completed the following two years as the annual in-service training. SRO training includes topics such as working with special-needs students, mental health awareness and trauma-informed action. Firearms and tactics refresher training are also included.
“School resources officers are a vital part of law enforcement agencies in today’s world,” said DOCJT Commissioner Nicolai Jilek. “I am proud of the efforts you have made to help make our schools a safe place for children to learn.”
In April 2022, Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 63 into law, which introduces new SRO requirements for school districts. The new law requires that each campus have an SRO by Aug. 1, 2022, if possible.
The law (KRS 158.4414(2)) further states that, “if sufficient funds and qualified personnel are not available for this purpose for every campus, the local board of education shall fulfill the requirements of this subsection on a per-campus basis, as approved in writing by the state school security marshal, until a certified school resource officer is assigned to and working on-site, full-time on each campus in the district.”
The Office of the School Security Marshal is working closely with each school district to implement HB 63 and coordinate a plan to overcome any obstacles.
For more information about the role an SRO plays in school safety click here.
DOCJT is a state agency located on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus. The agency is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ public safety training program designation. DOCJT also earned re-accreditation through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training in 2018.