This article appeared in The Herald-Sun in December 2012:
Orange County Schools may take the unprecedented step of putting school resource officers in elementary schools in the wake of Friday’s shootings in Newtown, Conn.
For at least this week, before breaking for the holiday, law enforcement officers are on campus in collaboration with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Hillsborough Police Department. But they could become as permanent as the SROs already found in middle and high schools.
“They will be providing an increased presence through the end of the week,” said Michael Gilbert, OCS public information officer. “Over the break (Superintendent Patrick) Rhodes and the (Board of Education) will be discussing the possibility of placing SROs in our elementary schools with our local law enforcement agencies.”
In a statement issued to parents, Rhodes wrote: “We are all deeply saddened by Friday’s tragic incident in Connecticut. While we hope such incidents never happen, Orange County Schools and our law enforcement partners view the safety of our children as our top priority.”
He outlined several steps taken to improve school security and emergency response planning, such as:
— Site-specific school safety plans.
— Specialized training in threat assessment.
— Crisis response measures.
— Regular presence and close monitoring of schools by the Sheriff’s Office.
— Full-scale and tabletop drills with law enforcement and emergency responders.
— Video surveillance in all schools.
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