The Habersham County School District will gain six more School Resource Officers (SROs) next year, adding to the eight already present. The goal is to have one officer in every school in Habersham.
“I think everyone in this community understands; it’s time to have a resource officer in every school. Our parents want it, our staff wants it, and our students need it,” said Habersham County Superintendent Matthew Cooper when giving his report. “We may not have all six on the first day of school, but we will try.”
While most want this to happen as soon as possible, finding suitable officers will take time because not just anybody can go to a school with the children. That person will be carefully screened by several sheriff’s office personnel and then undergo required extensive training. The cost would come from the general budget, not the reserve funds, and it would be around $400,000.
“I’m humbled by the support from the board of education,” Sheriff Joey Terrell said. “We want to protect our children, and we want to protect our administrators and our teachers. We’re 100 percent in on keeping our schools safe.”
Both Cooper and Terrell emphasized the importance of safety in Habersham County schools and what they are doing to protect students, faculty, and administrations. Aside from new SROs in every school, there is also a system safety team led by Dr. Adam Bagwell, the safety director of the school system.
They meet throughout the year with one goal – what can be done to make the schools safer? There are various drills – fire, severe weather and lockdown among them.
The students and staff are trained and practice enough to know exactly how to respond in an emergency. All schools have advanced camera systems, mental health specialists, and secure entrances.
Anyone entering the schools needs to be buzzed in, and the office staff is well trained in screening people who come into the schools.
“You throw a rock into a pond and get ripples, right? We have folks all over the nation who know what we’re doing in Habersham County and how we’re protecting our children,” Terrell said.
Bagwell said the school resource officers are much more than security guards. They strive to build relationships with students, are mentors to many, and work to be a part of the community and keep campuses safe in many ways. They have to be the right people with the proper training.
“The relationship between the sheriff’s office and the SRO program is a partnership with a common goal, and that is the safety of our students and our schools,” Bagwell added.