"Local School Resource Officer Program named "Model School Resource Officer Program by the Kentucky Center for School Safety"
(Pictured, left to right, School Resource Officer Michael Grigsby, Pulaski County School Superintendent Tim Eaton, Pulaski County Safe Schools Coordinator, Wanda Gaskin and School Resource Officer Mike Correll )
LOCAL SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER PROGRAM, LISTED A MODEL PROGRAM BY
KENTUCKY CENTER FOR SCHOOL SAFETY"
The Pulaski County School Resource Officer Program, consisting of Officer Michael Grigsby and Mike Correll of the Somerset Police Department has been recognized by the Kentucky Center for School Safety as a model school resource officer program in the State of Kentucky. The local program joins Boone County, Clay County and Erlanger as one of the four programs recognized by the Center.
According the Kentucky Center for School Safety web-site, "Manyexemplary SRO and truancy programs exist throughout the state. These model programs can serve to provide inspiration and options for fledgling programs." When asked about the notoriety, Tim Eaton,Superintendent of Pulaski County School District feels that the program is successful for many reasons," I personally believe that we have two outstanding individuals to work who are very loyal to the school district. One aspect that has made our partnership with the Somerset Police Department so effective is that everyone understood their roles and responsibilities before we started the S.R.O. program. Training with the S.R.O.s, Principals, and District Administrators was provided and questions were answered in the beginning. It was a collaborative effort to define everyone's role in the S.R.O. program."
Superintendent Eaton is not the only member of the Pulaski County School System pleased with the program. Wanda Gaskin, Safe Schools Coordinator, who works directly with the School Resource Officer on a daily basis, "We are very grateful to Somerset Mayor JP Wiles, Police Chief David Biggerstaff, and Lt. Allan Coomer in their efforts to bring Pulaski County Schools the S.R.O. program", comments Gaskin. "Officer Grigsby and Officer Correll have assimilated into the school community very quickly and have already formed positive relationships with students and staff.
“The knowledge they bring to our district is very important in keeping our schools safe and drug-free. They have work tirelessly to improve existing programs, introduce new programs as well as invent programs to serve the needs of our students. Their work ethic and attitude is great and we are very fortunate as a district to have these two particular officers assigned to our schools," explains Gaskin. "They say one person can make the difference, and in our case we lucked out with two very capable and contributing individuals that help where ever help is needed. Officer Grigsby and Officer Correll definitely make a positive difference in Pulaski County Schools."
Officer Mike Correll agrees, "The SRO program in the Pulaski County School system has been an unbelievable success due to the hard work of both the school system and city of Somerset. I feel like thanks to this program Ofc. Grigsby and I have established a better relationship with the youth of Pulaski County. Often I have been asked if I miss working the streets or do I enjoy my duties as an SRO and I tell them all the same I love being an SRO. I enjoyed working the streets before my SRO assignment, however an SRO has the opportunity to do so much more for the community and youth than the average street officer. This is primarily because as an SRO if I charge a juvenile with a crime it doesn't just end there, I can work with the juvenile through our mentoring program or at least see the juvenile on a daily basis and have the opportunity for that person to come and talk to me or have someone who is looking out for them. I truly enjoy going into a classroom and teaching or presenting a program and see that the kids are interested in what I'm saying, not because I'm a police officer but they know I can also be a friend. For any program like this to work you have to have a strong working relationship with the school, the police dept., and most importantly the community. The community of Pulaski County has shown this program overwhelming support. The federal government has allowed millions of dollars nationwide to assist schools and police departments with establishing SRO programs and the reason they are doing this is because this is a program that has proven successful and will continue to be successful."
The local program is very progressive in nature and addresses all issues of school safety. As a result the program, just established in January of 2004 has flourished. "We feel that part of our success with this program has been due to many excellent school distinct employees, namely Pulaski County School District Superintendent, Tim Eaton and Pulaski County Safe School Coordinator, Wanda Gaskin" explains Officer Grigsby, "Mr. Eaton has been very supportive of us, however due to his many commitments he is not always available, Ms. Gaskin, who is the Safe School Coordinator for Pulaski County Schools, has always made herself available to myself and Officer Correll was needed. We feel that part of the overwhelming success of this program is due to this type of willingness to work together. Officer Correll and I learn something new every day about the schools, as I am sure the schools learn something new about us. It is a great working relationship and environment we have and it is our belief that this is the reason our program has been so successful in growing."
The program is constantly expanding and offers a wide variety of services to both students and staff. Officer offer various training's to inform and educate staff about issues regarding safety and hazardous. Officers also teach the DARE Program in the 5th Grade and the newly developed M.I.K.E. Program (Meaningful Interaction between Kids and Educators) at all grade levels. "We clearly feel that we are one of the most progressive programs in the state." Explained Grigsby, "We are always looking at ways we can improve and advance ourselves and services. We keep aware of the new problems that are faced in our local schools and change to address those issues."
The School Resource Officer Program also has addressed the area of Crisis Response Planning, a grim reminder of the modern world of terrorism we all now live in. School Resource Officer's have conducted physical security and needs assessments for all of their individual assigned schools. SRO's are also working with the Pulaski County Safe Schools Coordinator to established and develop a District Wide Response Plan. This has included the cooperation and organization of various outside agencies to address the needs of a crisis. Officer Grigsby has completed special crisis response training from FEMA, (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and along with Officer Correll will be facilitating various trainings regarding Crisis Response to school administrators in the coming school year.
According to Officer Grigsby, the school already has a very functional plan in place. "We recently had a incident that occurred at Northern Middle School, that required the evacuation of the entire building. Angela Murphy, principal and Shelly Hargis, assistant principal set an example for other administrators to follow. Both Ms. Murphy and Ms Hargis, took initiative and performed their duties exceptionally. The staff at Northern Middle knew their assigned roles and performed them flawlessly. It was amazing to watch, the organization and the hands on approach both Murphy and Hargis took. It is one thing to clear a classroom of 30 students, it is entirely another to clear a entire building of almost 1000 people and then evacuate them to another location in a matter of 30 minutes or so." Grigsby explained that it took coordination of a people to handle the incident. "We, (Myself and Officer Correll) were both at Northern conducting some
classroom presentations. Once the alarm was activated, I and Officer Correll cleared the areas we were in and made sure that the hallways and classrooms were safely evacuated. As far as I know myself and Officer Correll were the last people to leave the building. The staff of Northern had cleared their classrooms and were account for their students, when me and Officer Correll got out side. Everyone did what they were supposed to do, said Officer Grigsby.
"We always want to continue to improve on everything we do. We do not want to be caught resting on our laurels, and something tragic happens. Officer Correll and I are constantly playing "What if?" "I could not ask for anyone better to work with. We have really blended together as a team, and that is what it is all about, a team effort between us and the school system to make a safe place for our students and staff."
The School Resource Officer is truly a multifaceted program, being involved in a variety of activities. The SRO Program has assisted with everything from truancy and legal issues, to lending a helping hand to coaches sometimes during physical education classes. The program will hopefully continue to prosper, allowing a viable education resource to the staff and students of the Pulaski County School System.
