MENDOTA - After seeing the increase in mass school shootings nationwide, both Mendota High School and the City of Mendota felt there was a need to have a School Resource Officer (SRO) present at the high school.
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MENDOTA - After seeing the increase in mass school shootings nationwide, both Mendota High School and the City of Mendota felt there was a need to have a School Resource Officer (SRO) present at the high school. Mendota Mayor David Boelk explained, “Even though SRO programs have been mainly used in larger city schools, we believe there is something we could, and should be doing for our schools to provide additional safety and security.”
Mendota High School Superintendent Jeff Prusator agreed, adding that support for this layer of security is community wide. “The students, faculty and parents strongly support a SRO at Mendota High School,” Prusator said. “It will be a good thing for everyone.”
If approved by the MHS Board of Education and the Mendota City Council, the SRO will be shared serving Mendota High School and the City of Mendota as a full-time officer. The cost for the new position will be shared between the high school and city and the SRO will be in place at the start of the 2019-20 school year.
A joint press release stated that the SRO will “work diligently to provide a safe educational environment for every student while creating, maintaining, and building a good rapport with students, school administration, teachers, staff, and community. The SRO may serve as a mentor and educator - teaching students about public safety and the criminal justice system. He/she may also teach students how to keep themselves and their families safe. Most importantly, the school resource officer can serve as a role model for students.”
Once the SRO is selected, the candidate of choice will receive additional, specialized training to work with juveniles. The training programs will include certification to be a School Resource Officer and a Juvenile Officer in the state of Illinois. Boelk, Prusator and Mendota Police Chief Tom Smith all agreed that their main goal is to have an SRO who is properly hired, trained, evaluated and integrated into the school community.
Prusator expressed his appreciation to everyone involved in this process, saying, “We appreciate working collaboratively with the city and police department to create this position and foster a safer learning environment.”
