16-02-2025
Eastern N.C. school leaders, law enforcement highlight importance of school resource officers
GREENVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — National School Resource Officer Appreciation Day was Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 to encourage schools and communities to recognize hard work and dedication of SROs.
'The significance of SROs is meaningful, really,' Supervisor of Pitt County Sheriff's Office's SRO Unit Sgt. Michael Stroud said.
The main focus for SROs is to keep students and staff safe at schools.
'I'm very confident now in the safety of our school, having a school resource officer here every day to provide that layer of safety and security for our staff and students,' Principal of Pamlico County Primary School Savannah Alexander said.
Sgt. Stroud also talked about all the other duties provided by SROs. 'We are mentors. We sometimes like counselors, social workers, we support the kids,' he said. 'We become, or the SROS become, just as involved and invested into the school as the regular staff. The teachers, custodians, they're part of that school. They're part of that facility.'
Alexander agreed they provide a lot of help in many ways. 'So, the building relationships piece and educating our students on a variety of topics, you know, bullying and safety and, you know, all kinds of things,' she said. 'They're educators at our school as well, just like our teachers who teach academic content.'
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