The Radford City School Board passed a resolution Tuesday in support of school resource officers ahead of the Aug. 18 special session called by Governor Ralph Northam where criminal justice reform will be discussed.
Virginia Senator Todd Pillion (R-SD40) has been working with school boards and Boards of Supervisors “across Virginia to adopt resolutions in support of school resource officers (SROs),” according to a statement from his office.
“In recent weeks, Democrats have announced proposals to reduce funding for, or eliminate, the state’s SRO Grants Program and Fund as part of their criminal justice reform agenda,” reads a press statement from Pillion’s office. “On June 24, the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus released special session priorities that include ‘reducing SRO presence in schools.’ In a letter to Governor Northam on July 7, Delegate Kaye Kory wrote, ‘We agree that the School Resource Officer programs as we know them today must be scrutinized now with the goal of suspension or elimination’.”
The Virginia SRO Grants Program and Fund was established by the General Assembly in 1999 as a special non-reverting fund within the state treasury to employ uniformed SROs. The enabling legislation creating the fund passed the Senate of Virginia and House of Delegates without opposition. The General Assembly has provided more than $14.3 million to school districts since 2014. In addition to Radford, school boards in Grayson, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, and Middlesex counties as well as the City of Bristol and Norton have adopted the resolution offered by Pillion thus far.
Radford City School Board Chair Lee Slusher said she Radford’s SROs performa valuable service in the city’s schools.
“Radford City Schools has a strong partnership with our city’s police department under the leadership of our past chief Donnie Goodman and current Chief Jeff Dodson,” she said. “We appreciate that the SRO’s are building relationships with students and are valuable resources within the Radford community. We are pleased to have them in our buildings.”
“I am proud to support Senator Pillion’s SRO resolution,” said Senator Ben Chafin, whose district includes the City of Radford. “As a father of three products of the public school system, and the grandfather of two future products of the public school system, I cannot fathom the ramifications of suspending or eliminating SROs. Doing away with SROs is shortsighted, and doesn’t make common sense in today’s society. Radford Public Schools made the right decision in adopting the SRO resolution, and choosing to publicly support SROs. I hope other school boards across the Commonwealth, including the 38th District, will choose to follow suit.”
“SROs add great value to our schools and strengthen our communities,” said Pillion. “As a father of four students in public school, I’m grateful we have SROs not only to keep our kids safe, but also build positive relationships between them and law enforcement. New calls to eliminate them are not just concerning—they don’t make sense. Since the SRO program and fund was created, it has been funded in the state budget on a bipartisan basis, including the budget adopted in March. We need to send a clear and unified message of the value this program has in securing our schools and building positive relationships between youth and law enforcement.”
“School Resource Officers are the most important piece of our School Safety Plans and I know many other small and rural school divisions feel the same way,” said Dr. Keith Perrigan, leader of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia. “By reducing funding for SROs you increase response time if the unthinkable happens. Additionally, SROs serve as ambassadors for our schools and Police Department. You can find them on most mornings, welcoming our families with a smile, wave, and very often providing assistance to younger students as they exit the vehicle into a very busy car rider line.”
