School resource officers in MPS; week-long training begins
MPS school resource officer training begins
A group of police officers just finished day one of school resource officer training. It's a move closer to getting police back into Milwaukee Public Schools after delays and courtroom drama.
MILWAUKEE - A group of police officers just finished day one of school resource officer training.
It's a move closer to getting police back into Milwaukee Public Schools after delays and courtroom drama.
It is training Milwaukee police wouldn't let FOX6 see firsthand, but so many of you have asked what school resource officer training entails.
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MPS approves school resource officers, new superintendent in meeting
The Milwaukee Board of School Directors approved its intergovernmental agreement for student resource officers to return on Tuesday.
What they're saying:
Parents like Parish Davis are waiting to see how the Milwaukee Police Department handles school resource officer training.
"How to protect the kids, for safety reasons and making them feel comfortable in their environments," said Parish.
That's what Parish hopes officers learn.
FOX6 wanted to see what they're actually learning, but MPD wouldn't let cameras inside the training. So FOX6 tracked down the instructor.
"We want SROs to be advocates for students," said instructor Mo Canady.
The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) is leading the 40-hour course.
Day one focuses on things like the foundations of school-based law enforcement and the SRO as an informal counselor.
The week covers ethics, armed assailant response, human trafficking, and building relationships.
"When you have those solid relationships, the community is going to be more apt to share information with law enforcement. They’re going to be more trusting to do our job. And in many instances, to stop a bad thing before it even happens," Canady added.
The backstory:
Since 2024, state law has required MPS to have at least 25 school resource officers.
More than a year later, it still hadn't happened.
Under a judge’s order, to avoid a $1,000 daily fine, the city and district are now expected to have officers trained and in schools by Saturday, March 15th.
An agreement says officers won’t be involved in school disciplinary action.
"At the end of the day, formal school discipline belongs to the school administration. Just like an arrest belongs to law enforcement," Canady said.
NASRO says 38 MPD staff members have registered for the course.
By the end of the week, leaders must provide a judge names of officers working the SRO program, names of schools where they’ll be stationed, plus evidence of course completion.
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MPS SRO training schedule
Training schedule
What's next:
On Tuesday, officers will learn more about school law and child brain development.
On Wednesday, training will focus on supporting students with disabilities and trauma.
Thursday will cover responding to critical incidents.
On day five, officers will learn more about fostering school safety, including handling social media.
The Source: FOX6 spoke to one of the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) instructors.