This article, part of the special issue of TECHBeat, posted on the JUSTNET.org Web site, discusses the role of school safety officers as immediate first responders.
Following the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, in December of 2012, new efforts are being focused on the issue of school safety and how to keep children and adults safe in school settings. This article, "The Immediate First Responder," is part of the special issue of TECHBeat that has been posed on the JUSTNET.org Web site. The article discusses how school safety officers (SROs) are the immediate first responders to events that can happen on any school campus, being able to respond to a situation faster than anyone can call 911. The article also discusses the two other key roles played by SROs: visiting classrooms and making presentations on school safety, traffic laws, and general law and crime prevention; and conferring with students, parents, and family members on legal problems and crime prevention. The article also briefly discusses the work of NASRO, the National Association of School Resource Officers.