A new face has been seen in The Forest over the past weeks. This would be our school resource officer, Officer Zachary Moran. Some may ask, what is an SRO? An SRO is a sworn law enforcement officer with arrest powers, as stated on edweek.org.
Not all police officers are SROs, but they do have the opportunity to become one of these officers. What separates these officers from a regular police officer is the theory that they have special training with the youth. The National Association of School Resource Officers offers several courses to prepare them to become SROs. There are over 40 hours of training, including topics such as the adolescent brain, cyber safety, and violence protection in school.
Officer Moran shared, “Everyone has their reason for choosing a job. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but I had a little voice in my head telling me that I should go for it. I graduated from Carolina Forest in 2009. When I attended CF, we had a resource officer, and this was a major part in my choosing to take the next step to become an SRO.”
Resource officers have some daily tasks for their role of enforcement. They offer informal mentoring and counseling. They work hand in hand with administrators when events that could put students at risk. These officers are essential in schools today.
“I believe that this program is very important in the school and community as it serves as a way to keep those who are on the campus safe. It also is another person on the campus who students could go to and talk to about things going on in school or outside of school,” added Officer Moran.
Parents, along with students, were informed of the addition to the CF family when he began. Many parents do believe that this addition was very important. Especially after all the things that are going on in the world, it is an extra hand for safety and security.
“With the way the world is nowadays in school and outside of schools no one is safe. Although no one is safe, the youth is at higher risk. I believe that having an officer on campus is very beneficial for the safety of the students,” stated Ann Fegley, a mom of an elementary and high school student.
Overall, having an officer on our campus is very beneficial. If you have any questions or any information regarding a possible life-threatening situation, a student can speak with Officer Moran. He is located in E house near Mrs. Weeks’ office. If there are in any situations where a student is unable to get to a trusted adult in a quick timely manner, he/she has access to the See Something Say Something program.
https://www.horrycountyschools.net/saysomethingreport
