1 School Security Officer Program Module I

2 School Security Officer Program Module 1: SSO Roles, Requirements, &Responsibilities Presented by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services

3 School Security Officer Program Module I  Role Definition  Requirements  Responsibilities  Resources (problem solving)  Community-Based School Security Model

4 School Security Officer Program In 2001, the Virginia General Assembly directed the Department of Criminal Justice Services to establish a standardized SSO training program.

5 Statutory Definition Code of Virginia /Chapter 868 School Security Officer means an individual who is employed by the local school board for the singular purpose of … School Security Officer means an individual who is employed by the local school board for the singular purpose of …

6  maintaining order and discipline,  preventing crime,  investigating violations of school board policies… Statutory Definition

7  and detaining students violating the law or school board policies on school property or at school-sponsored events  and who is responsible solely for ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors in the assigned school. Statutory Definition

8 Key Words from the VA Code:  Maintain Order  Maintain Discipline  Prevent Crime  Investigate Violations SSO Role Definition

9 Key Words from the VA Code:  Ensure safety  Ensure security  Ensure welfare

10 Work with the school staff and students to maintain order and discipline in the school. SSO Responsibilities

11 SSO Requirements SSOs Must:  Be 21 years of age  Have high school diploma or equivalent  Have a valid driver’s license if required to operate a vehicle by duties of office.  Successfully complete the SSO Certification Training

12 SSO Requirements SSOs Must:  Undergo prescribed background investigation including fingerprint-based criminal record inquiry  Have first aid training as directed by the employing school district.  Meet all hiring requirements of the employing school district

13 In addition, SSOs Must:  Have a desire to work with school aged youth and other school personnel  Relate effectively to school personnel, law enforcement and the community  Adhere to dress code prescribed by school division  Model appropriate professional behavior for students to emulate  Understand the terms and conditions of employment as a SSO SSO Requirements

14 Regulatory Requirements  6 VAC SSO Standards of Conduct  Maintain a valid mailing address and notify the school division within 10 days of any change  Notify the employing school division within 72 hours, or the next business day, of any arrest for any misdemeanor or felony  Notify the employing school division within 10 days of being found guilty by any court or administrative body

15 SSO Responsibilities Examples Include:  Patrol school building and grounds  Patrol parking areas and school entrances  Check visitors on school premises and assures that visitors report to school office  Report incidents to the proper administrator in accordance with school policy  Check hallways, restrooms, cafeteria, and remote areas of the building for potential safety and security problems

16 SSO Responsibilities Examples of Typical Behavior Include:  Refer students having problems to the appropriate administrative staff  Communicate with students regarding improper behavior, and attempt to obtain voluntary compliance  Report to the appropriate administrator any building conditions which interfere with good building security and safety

17 SSO Responsibilities Examples of Typical Behavior Include:  Maintain proper documentation and reports of all security activities  Maintain all security equipment in good working order  Develop healthy communication and relationships with community, students, parents, and staff  Be knowledgeable about crisis response planning  Be knowledgeable about the safety audit process

18 SSO Responsibilities Partner with school administrators, teachers, counselors, students, parents, law enforcement, and fire department to create a safe and secure learning environment.

19 SSO Responsibilities Know Your School’s Educational Philosophy by developing an understanding of: School mission statement School mission statement Student Code of Conduct Student Code of Conduct

20 SSO Responsibilities Be a Positive Role Model:  Professional in appearance and demeanor  Approachable by students and staff on school security issues  Compassionate in listening to needs and concerns of students and staff  Open minded in resolving issues  Develop and maintain effective communication skills

21 SSO Responsibilities Have a general knowledge of:  Prevention programs for students: GREAT, Class Action, Life Skills, DARE, etc.  In-Service prevention programs for school staff  Parent & Community orientation programs regarding prevention

22 SSO Responsibilities Tips for Intervention:  Have practical knowledge about your students  Attend co-curricular events  Network with school staff  Build relationships counselors  Encourage students to use positive verbal and behavioral alternatives and behavioral alternatives  Encourage academic achievement and involvement

23 SSO Responsibilities Tips for Intervention:  Be accessible to parent & community concerns  Make use of community youth agencies and refer students and parents and parents  Model effective communication skills daily and expect students to act responsibly  Discuss the logical consequences of disobeying school rules and regulations school rules and regulations  Understand how your school principal wants rules and regulations administered and regulations administered

24 SSO Responsibilities With Crime on Campus:  Report crimes or school conduct violations to the proper authorities  Determine the type of incident that has occurred and document accordingly  Be aware of mandatory reporting requirements for certain school crimes

25 SSO Responsibilities With Crime on Campus-  Have a clear understanding about the fact that: School Officials take lead on school violations and your specific role is delineated by the principal. School Officials take lead on school violations and your specific role is delineated by the principal. Law Enforcement Officers take lead when there are criminal violations. Law Enforcement Officers take lead when there are criminal violations.

26 SSO Responsibilities With Crime on Campus:  Be aware that all criminal offenses must be documented and be willing to assist if asked  Provide due process to student/staff involved in school conduct violations  Assist law enforcement with criminal investigations when required

27 SSO Responsibilities Effective school security and safety strategies include:  Careful problem solving  Visibility and proactivity  Knowledge and application of safety and security regulations and school board policy  Immediate notification to the school administrator and law enforcement when necessary

28 SSO Responsibilities Effective school security and safety strategies include:  Providing school safety education and support to school students, staff, and parents  Maintaining a professional demeanor during all school activities  Promoting school community support for suspects, victims, and families in school crime/conduct violation cases.

29 SSO Responsibilities Have an operational knowledge of school crisis planning and key incident command concepts.

30 Risk reduction planning Identify problems Identify problems Determine objectives Determine objectives Evaluate & identify measures to help Evaluate & identify measures to help Select measures Select measures Develop final plan Develop final plan SSO Responsibilities

31 Key Incident Command Concepts Incident Command System – a flexible, scalable response organization providing a common framework within which people can work together effectively. These people may be drawn from multiple agencies that do not routinely work together. ICS is designed to give standard response and operation procedure to reduce problems and potential miscommunication. SSO Responsibilities

32 Key Incident Command Concepts Unified Command – one way to carry out command in which responding agencies/jurisdictions share incident management. These incidents may involve: multiple jurisdictions multiple jurisdictions a single jurisdiction with multiple agencies sharing responsibility a single jurisdiction with multiple agencies sharing responsibility multi-jurisdictions & multi-agency involvement multi-jurisdictions & multi-agency involvement (e.g. law enforcement taking charge in a criminal activity within a school environment) (e.g. law enforcement taking charge in a criminal activity within a school environment) SSO Responsibilities

33 SSO Responsibilities Key Incident Command Concepts National Incident Management System (NIMS) – a system used in the United States to coordinate emergency preparedness and incident management among various federal, state, and local agencies.

34 SSO Responsibilities Develop strategies for working with youth in resolving school security problems and issues.

35 SSO Responsibilities Know how to use community and school resources to assist in preventing school crime and discipline issues.

36 SSO Responsibilities and School Resources include: Community and School Resources include:  School and community organizations  Local and state law enforcement  Public Works  All school representatives – administration and faculty  Fire and Rescue

37 Resource for Problem Solving Use the SARA approach in school based problem solving.

38 Resource for Problem Solving SARA Approach:  Scanning  Analysis  Response  Assessment

39 Resource for Problem Solving Scanning – Identify related incidents or events through a review of information.

40 Resource for Problem Solving Examples:  Interview school administrators and faculty  Review school-based disciplinary data  Interview parents and other citizens  Interview nearby business property owners  Review neighborhood crime data

41 Resource for Problem Solving Analysis – Determine why a problem is occurring. Identify patterns that explain the conditions that assist in promoting the crime or disorder.

42 Resource for Problem SolvingExamples:  Repeated larcenies from school lockers because of bad lighting  Speeding drivers on campus because of lack of signs or barriers  Repeated verbal threats against students because of lack of policy or supervision  Bullying of students because of lack of policy enforcement

43 Resource for Problem Solving Response – Develop effective long term solutions to address the possibility of future incidents by reducing threats and target areas to students and staff.

44 Resource for Problem SolvingExamples:  Developing a policy on student threats  Improving hallway lighting  Removing restroom doors  Providing effective prevention response programs

45 Resource for Problem Solving Assessment – Measure the impact of the responses to the targeted problem.

46 Resource for Problem Solving Examples of assessment tools:  Student Surveys  Staff Surveys  Parent Feedback Surveys  Law Enforcement Surveys

47 Resource for Problem Solving Examples of assessment tools:  Community feedback approaches  Review of school incident reports  Review of community incident reports

48 Community Based School Security Model Community-Based School Security in America:  Expands the role of security in the school environment. Security personnel:  Take an active role in school safety and security planning  Assist in addressing the issues of school safety and security in the community

49 Community Based School Security Model  Address problems not incidents  Effectively assess school safety issues  Plan school safety initiatives  Work with counselors and others to use intervention resources effectively  Have a much more active role in prevention and intervention for youth

50 Community Based School Security Model Emphasizes an officer who is:  Approachable  Compassionate  Open-minded  A good listener  Fair and tolerant

51 Community Based School Security Model School employee School employee Law enforcement agency employee Law enforcement agency employee Complies with local school policies and regulations Complies with local school policies and regulations Complying with federal, state, and local statutes Complying with federal, state, and local statutes Comparison: SSO vs. SRO

52 Comparison: SSO vs. SRO Under the direction of local school principal or designee Under the direction of local school principal or designee Under the direction of law enforcement command Under the direction of law enforcement command Primarily assigned to school campus activities Primarily assigned to school campus activities Assigned to school and community activities Assigned to school and community activities Community Based School Security Model

53 Comparison: SSO vs. SRO Responsible for enforcing school policy Responsible for enforcing school policy Responsible for enforcing state law Responsible for enforcing state law Responsible for detaining individuals Responsible for detaining individuals Responsible for custody and arrest in conformance with law Responsible for custody and arrest in conformance with law Community Based School Security Model

54 Comparison: SSO vs. SRO Search may be based on reasonable suspicion Search may be based on reasonable suspicion Search must be in accordance with State and Federal law Search must be in accordance with State and Federal law May detain and question students May detain and question students Must apply laws and custody requirements Must apply laws and custody requirements Community Based School Security Model

55 Comparison: SSO vs. SRO Act in absence of parents (in loco parentis) Act in absence of parents (in loco parentis) Act under the standards of law Act under the standards of law Use of force should be limited and only used in accordance with school policy Use of force should be limited and only used in accordance with school policy Use of force is permissible as guided by department policy Use of force is permissible as guided by department policy Community Based School Security Model

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