Foxborough Public Schools Regain Student Resource Officer

For Foxborough Police Officer Frank Azevedo, it’s time to go back to school.

After nearly a decade of not having a school resource officer, Azevedo was introduced as Foxborough’s new SRO at this week’s school committee meeting.

Azevedo, a member of the Foxborough Police Department since 1995, started his new position for the Foxborough Public Schools and Foxborough Regional Charter School at the start of the school year. Unlike in the past, the position is being funded as part of the police budget rather than a grant.

“Having a school research officer is something we’ve talked about having for years. I think the schools felt the lost of that and this was a high priority,” Superintendent Debra Spinelli said.

The new student resource officer began his work with youth issues in 2008 when he became the D.A.R.E. officer and presented an alcohol awareness program for M.A.D.D. Since then, he has become a regular in the Foxborough schools whether it’s talking about the dangers of alcohol to middle school students our discussing legal issues with the Civil Liberties and Law classes at the high school.

While he will provide assistance with issues that arise with students and families, most of his work load will involve prevention education in all the Foxborough schools.

“It’s really about the relationship building. We would rather be preventative than reactive. Now Frank comes down to lunches and kids can reach out to him. Our relationship isn’t just the drugs and alcohol. It’s more what can we do, put someone in the right direction, and give a student or a family the help that they need,” Foxborough High School Principal Diana Myers-Pachla said.

Spinelli added that the addition of the officer means a full time dedicated presence in the schools that did not exist in recent years.

“For us having that consistent person is important because without someone designated as a student resource, every time we needed whatever it was we’re interrupting (the police’s) work so it’s been important for us to have the go to person. It clears out the distraction,” Spinelli said.