Input About SROs Welcomed By Howard County School Officials

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Students, parents, staff members and community members can provide input about the school resource officer program in the Howard County Public School System. According to the school district, all messages will be reviewed. But due to the anticipated volume of emails, individual responses should not be expected.

The feedback provided will inform HCPSS’ ongoing review of the roles, purpose and outcomes of SROs in Howard County schools. Feedback about the SRO program can be emailed SROinput@hcpss.org.

HCPSS Superintendent Michael J. Martirano presented “School Resource Officers in Schools,” before the Howard County board of education during the board’s regularly scheduled meeting Sept. 24. Martirano initiated the first step in the conversation about the roles, purpose and outcomes of SROs in Howard County schools. Each SRO is a Howard County Police Department officer assigned to a school. Currently, HCPSS has an SRO assigned to each of the 12 high schools, as well as SROs who split time among 12 middle schools. SROs are intended to serve multiple defined roles in the school that include partnering with school administrators in maintaining school safety, establishing positive relations between youth and law enforcement, and helping to deter students from behaviors that may lead to criminal activity.