PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — The Franklin Pierce School District announced that it will be cutting its school resource officer (SRO) program this year due to budget shortfalls.
Media representative for the district, Joel Zylstra, said the district has had to make some big financial decisions over the last three years.
“In total, it’s been about 15 million dollars’ worth of reductions over three years,” Zylstra said.
One of the cuts that’s received a lot of attention from parents is the school resource officer program.
SROs are officers who are selected and carefully trained to be stationed at a school, and are used for school-based law enforcement and crisis response. They are sworn law enforcement officers, not security guards, so they are armed.
“The goals of well-founded SRO programs include providing safe learning environments in our nation’s schools, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, developing strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protecting all students, so that they can reach their fullest potentials. NASRO considers it a best practice to use a “triad concept” to define the three main roles of school resource officers: educator (i.e. guest lecturer), informal counselor/mentor, and law enforcement officer," the National Association of School Resource Officers wrote.
For the first time in 20 years, there will be no SROs patrolling the halls within the district’s 14 schools.
“The difference is they are not going to be on our campus Monday through Friday,” Zylstra said.
Zylstra says in 2024, the district spent $340,000 on the SRO program.
He says while they have made this cut, they still have safety protocols in place and are looking into ways to improve overall safety.
“We see this as an opportunity to rethink how we approach safety. Our staff are certainly a part of that,” Zylstra said.
KIRO 7 spoke to some parents outside the school district’s headquarters.
One parent, Andrew Murray, feels the presence of an SRO is vital for student safety.
“I mean, I’m kind of concerned about my son’s well-being without an officer there to help protect,” Murray said.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office will still help the district when called upon and respond to all emergencies.
Deputy Carly Cappetto, who served as an SRO in one district for four years, says their deputies build pivotal relationships with students and staff.
“And those relationships that you build with those students are so impactful,” she said.
Cappetto says SROs also provide a quick response at schools to any emergency situation.
“And now, those calls get put in queues along with the other 911 calls,” Cappetto said. “You don’t have a queue you’re sitting in because you have your own SRO,” she continued.
Zylstra says the district understands the concerns from parents and the sheriff’s office. He says safety for students and staff is still top of mind for them.
“These are our children and it’s vitally important that all of us find ways to share that concern,” Zylstra said.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office still has SRO’s within the Bethel and Puyallup School Districts.
The Franklin Pierce School District plans to host a town hall to discuss these changes with parents soon.
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