Resource Officers Equipped with SEL Skills Can Help Reduce Bullying, Suspensions
December 12, 2018
By: Amelia Harper
Source: Education Dive
Dive Brief
Dr. Michael Gaskell, principal mentor through the NJEA Leaders to Leaders program, shares with eSchool News his insights regarding how to best use school resource officers (SROs) or school security officers (SSOs) as part of a disciplinary method to reduce bullying and divert offenders from suspension and direct involvement with law enforcement agencies.
Dive Insight
The use of school resource officers in schools has received some negative press in the past decade, with some studies suggesting that they are a waste of resources and others alleging they are harmful and discriminatory. However, school resource officers play a large role in many schools today, especially in the wake of recent surges of school violence. In fact, data released in 2016 revealed that more than 1.5 million students nationwide attended a school with a resource officer but no school counselor.