The Maryland Model School Resource Officer (SRO)/School Security Employee Training Program requires the trainee to attend and pass a 40-hour block of instruction that prepares the officer to carry out the primary duties of a SRO/School Security Employee.
Officers are taught a wide curriculum that includes the following:
The main role of the SRO is exactly as the title implies – to be a resource. The officer is there to help assist in finding solutions to issues that are beyond the capability of students, faculty, and administrators to handle alone. The officer is often the conduit between other resource agencies such as juvenile probation, the juvenile courts, social service agencies, and non-profit, civic, and faith-based organizations.
The SRO/School Security Employee is taught prevention techniques that will be beneficial in preventing violent incidents within a school. Keeping this in mind, the SRO must be prepared and trained to respond as a single officer to any active threat that arises on campus.
The position of SRO is an extreme specialty in Law Enforcement. Traditional police training does not address the topics SRO’s must be familiar with. The adolescent brain not being able to understand consequences, de-escalation, mental health and special education needs and school discipline vs criminality are just a few topics they need to learn to function well in a school setting.
Both the full program and the comparative compliance program were certified by the Maryland Police and Correctional Training Commission on February 13, 2019. This certification allows our Center to give police officers in service-learning credit for the courses. Each police officer is required to have 21 hours of in-service training each year. Our full course offers 35 hours of in-service credit and our Comparative Compliance Course offers 14 hours of in-service credit to trainees. This means their agency can use our training in place of other training to keep the officer’s certification current. In addition, this put the eyes of a second professional training agency on our program checking consistency, applicability and value.
Total Topics
Introduction to STLA
Victimization of Youth in Schools
Official Interactions with Juveniles
SRO Definition and History
Youth Development Behavior and Discipline (De-Escalation)
Investigation of Bullying
Constructive Interactions with Students
Memorandum of Understanding
Getting into the Classroom
Working with Administrators and Staff
Collaboration with Stakeholders
School Emergency Planning
Restorative Practices
Addressing Indicators of Concern (Trauma Informed)
Maintaining a Positive School Climate
Maryland School Law
Disability and Diversity Awareness
Managing Gangs in Schools
SORAT Overview
Implicit Bias (De-Escalation)
Principles of Effective Learning
Informal Counseling
Drug Education Current Trends
