ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. * Definitions and Parameters ofthe Mentally Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * Organizational Vision
isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. * * * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. Common Themes Source
7Source 8Source 9Source
10 Source 11 Source12Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * * * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * * * There are Challenges to the
Laws. * * There is a Significant Difference between a
Pet and a Service Animal. * * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * * * Organizational Vision
231
Common Themes
Source 13 Source 14 Source 15 Source
16Source 17 Source 18 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. * * *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. * * * There are Challenges to theLaws. * *
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. * Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * * * Organizational Vision isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. Common Themes Source
19 Source 20Source 21 Source
22 Source 23 Source24Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * * * * There are Challenges to the
Laws. * * * There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * * * Organizational Vision
232
Common Themes
Source 25 Source 26 Source 27 Source
28Source 29 Source 30 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. * *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. * There are
Challenges to theLaws.
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * * * * Organizational Vision isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * * Common Themes Source
31 Source 32Source 33 Source
34 Source 35 Source36Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * * * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. There
are Challenges to the
Laws. There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * Organizational Vision
isa
Necessary Step inthe Design ofa
Therapy Dog Program. * * * Service Dogs and/
or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * Common Themes Source 37 Source
38 Source 39Source
40Source 41Source 42 Therapy Dogs
are Beneficial to the
Students. * * Special Education Laws Protectthe Students. * There are Challenges to theLaws. * There
isaSignificant Difference between aPet
and aService Animal. * Definitions
233
Common
Themes
Source 43 Source 44 Source 45 Source
46Source 47 Source 48 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the Students. * *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. There are
Challenges to theLaws.
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. * * Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * Organizational Vision
isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * * * * Common Themes Source
49 Source 50Source 51 Source
52 Source 53 Source54Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * * There
are Challenges to the
Laws. * * There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * Organizational Vision
234
Common Themes
Source 55 Source 56 Source 57 Source
58Source59 Source 60 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. * There are
Challenges to theLaws.
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. * Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * * * Organizational Vision isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * * Common Themes Source
61 Source 62Source 63 Source
64 Source 65 Source66Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. There
are Challenges to the
Laws. There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * * * Organizational Vision
235
Common Themes
Source 67 Source 68 Source 69 Source
70Source 71 Source 72 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. * *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. * There are
Challenges to theLaws. * *
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. * Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * * Organizational Vision isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. * * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * Common Themes Source
73 Source 74Source 75 Source
76 Source 77 Source78Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * There
are Challenges to the
Laws. There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * * * * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * Organizational Vision
236
Common Themes
Source 79 Source 80Source 81
Source
82Source 83 Source 84
Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. * * * *
Special Education Laws Protect theStudents. * * There
are Challenges to the Laws. *
ThereisaSignificant Difference between
a Pet and a Service
Animal. * Definitions and Parametersofthe
Mentally Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * Organizational Vision isa Necessary Step inthe
Design ofa Therapy Dog Program. * * * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * * * * Common Themes Source
85 Source 86Source 87 Source
88 Source 89 Source90Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * * * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * * There
are Challenges to the
Laws. * * There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * Organizational Vision
237
Common Themes
Source 91 Source 92 Source 93 Source
94Source 95 Source 96 Therapy
Dogs are Beneficial to the students. * *
Special Education Laws ProtecttheStudents. * * There are Challenges to theLaws. *
ThereisaSignificant Difference between a
Pet and a Service
Animal. Definitions and Parametersofthe Mentally
Ill Patient and/ or Student. * * Organizational Vision
isa Necessary Step inthe Design
ofaTherapy Dog Program. * * *
Service Dogs
and/or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. Common Themes Source
97 Source 98Source 99 Source
100 Source 101 Source102Therapy Dogs are
Beneficial to thestudents. * * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * * * There are Challenges to the
Laws. * * There is a Significant Difference between
aPet and a Service Animal. * Definitions
and Parameters ofthe Mentally IllPatient
and/orStudent. * * * Organizational Vision
isa
Necessary Step inthe Design ofa
Therapy Dog Program. * * * * Service Dogs and/
or Specialized Therapy Dogs with Handlers
inthe Classroom. * Common Themes Source 103 Source
104 Source 105 Source
106 Source 107 Source 108 Therapy Dogs
are Beneficial to the
students. * * Special Education Laws Protectthe Students. * * * * There are Challenges to theLaws. * * * There
isaSignificant Difference between aPet
and aService Animal. Definitions
238
Common Themes
Source 109 Source 110 Source 111 Therapy
Dogsare Beneficial tothe students. * *
Special Education Laws Protect the Students. * *
There are Challenges totheLaws. * * There is
a
a Significant Difference between
Petanda Service Animal. Definitions
and Parameters of the
Mentally Ill Patient and/orStudent. * Organizational
Vision isa Necessary Stepinthe
Design ofa Therapy DogProgram. * * Service
Dogs and/or Specialized Therapy
239
APPENDIX B
Letter of Introduction
December 10, 2017
Dear Superintendent/Director/Teacher,
Hello, my name is Sharon Kalkoske. I am a doctoral student with Brandman University, working in the field of organizational leadership. For my dissertation, I am researching how classroom teachers of K-12 Special Education students in placements for emotional/ behavioral disorders ( EBD) describe the academic and social- emotional effects of a classroom service dog/specialized therapy dog with a handler on student learning and behavior.
You have been identified to participate in my study as an interview participant.
Participation is completely voluntary and would require you to provide informed consent at the time of the interview. No students will be interviewed and/ or communicated with in any capacity.
I know your time is valuable. Researching this topic has allowed me to develop an appreciation for the benefits you bring to children and the time you devote to your community. I realize that participating in this study is in addition to the myriad other responsibilities you have to your school and community constituents and I am grateful for your consideration of participation in this endeavor. Your responses will be kept confidential, along with others from the sample population, and will contribute valuable data to the growing field of service dogs/therapy dogs and their handlers who work in classrooms with students with special needs.
I appreciate your time, energy, and attention to this correspondence. If you are willing to participate in the study, please respond to this email at your earliest convenience. Should you have any questions or wish to discuss the study and its purpose further, please feel free to contact me via email or by telephone.
Thank you for your time, energy and devotion to supporting children and their learning.
With appreciation,
Sharon Kalkoske
xxx) xxx-xxxx
[email protected]
240
APPENDIX C
Letter of Invitation to Prospective Participants
RESEARCH STUDY INVITATION LETTER FOR TEACHERS OF STUDENTS
WITH EMOTIONAL/BEHAVIORAL DISTURBANCE IN CLASSROOMS WITH
SERVICE DOGS AND/OR HIGHLY SPECIALIZED THERAPY DOGS AND THEIR
HANDLERS
November 2017
Dear Prospective Study Participant:
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted in New Jersey and California.
The principal investigator of this study is Sharon Kalkoske, Doctoral Candidate in Brandman University’s Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership program. You were selected to participate in this study based on your role in having service dogs and/or highly specialized therapy dogs and their handlers in your classroom. Approximately 15 Special Education teachers will be enrolled in this study and your voluntary participation will take no longer than an hour. You may withdraw from the study at any time or opt not to answer specific study questions.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this phenomenological study is to determine and describe the perceived academic and social- emotional effects of a classroom service/ specialized therapy dog with a handler on student learning and behavior in K-12 Special Education students in emotional/behavioral disorder placements as perceived by the teachers of those students.
PROCEDURES: In participating in this research study, you agree to partake in an interview. The interview will take approximately one hour and will be audio-recorded.
The interview will take place at a location of your choosing. During the interview, you will be asked a series of questions designed to allow you to share your experiences as a teacher of students with emotional/behavioral disorders working in a classroom with service and/or highly specialized therapy dogs and their handlers. Additionally, you will be asked for demographic information in an effort to capture your background, training and experience.
RISKS, INCONVENIENCES, AND DISCOMFORTS: There are no known major risks or discomforts associated with this research and the information being elicited is not 241
about specific teachers, programs or students. The session will be held at a location of your choosing to minimize inconvenience. Some interview questions will require you to reflect on your unique lived experience and/or observations which may cause minor discomfort.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS: There are no personal benefits associated to being a study participant; however, sharing your experiences as a teacher of emotional/behavioral disordered students who have service dogs and/or highly specialized therapy dogs in the classroom can contribute to this study and better inform researchers, school districts/boards, and school administrators about the perceived effects, benefits and considerations of having dogs with their handlers in the classroom with students in emotional/behavioral disorder placements.
ANONYMITY: Records of information you provide for this study and your personal information will not be linked in any way. It will not be possible to identify you as the person who provided any specific information for the study and any potentially identifiable information you provide will not be used.
You are encouraged to ask questions in order to help you understand how this study will be performed and/or how it will affect you. You may contact the research investigator, Ms. Sharon Kalkoske, by phone at (xxx) xxx-xxx or via email [email protected].
If you have any further questions or concerns about this study or your rights as a study participant, you may write or call the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, Brandman University, 16355 Laguna Canyon Road, Irvine, CA 92618, (949) 341-7641.
Very Respectfully,
Ms. Sharon Kalkoske
Doctoral Candidate, Research Investigator
242
APPENDIX D
Participant Communication
XXXXX
Thu 7/13, 8:44 PMKalkoske,
We would be very happy to cooperate with study. Please contact the secretary to the superintendent, at your convenience to schedule a time for us to discuss and prepare the details.
Best,
From: XXXXX
Sent: Wednesday, August 23, 2017 6:05:21 AM
To: Kalkoske, Sharon
Subject: Re: connect
Hi Sharon,
Yes, we would love to have you visit! Ironically I'm working on our therapy dog program description right now. Our school has facility dogs that are in the classroom full time so that could help you. I'm so glad the other schools are participating as well! Let me know when you're going to be in the area so we can coordinate.
Oh and please call me D. :-)
From: XXXXX
Sent: Monday, October 2, 2017 11:10:44 AM
To: Kalkoske, Sharon
Subject: RE: touch base
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for touching base with me about the service dog programs.
Keep me posted on your anticipated trip out east and we will try to coordinate a visit. 243
XXXXX
Mon 10/30, 9:44 AMSharon Kalkoske
Hi Sharon,
Thank you for your interest in the therapy dogs at our program. XXXX and XXXX are a great asset to our program as they help our clients tremendously. Myself and my therapy staff would be happy to answer any questions that you may have regarding how they play a role in our group therapy.
Feel free to contact me when you would like to conduct the interview. 244
APPENDIX E
Informed Consent Form
245
246
247
248
APPENDIX F
Participant Bill of Rights
249
APPENDIX G
Interview Protocol
Interview Script:
Interviewer states:] Itruly appreciate you taking the time to share your story with me.
To review, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects, either positive or negative, of having the service or therapy dog with the handler present in your classroom in terms of student performance, both academic and behavioral. The questions are written to elicit this information, but please feel free to share stories or experiences as appropriate throughout the interview. Additionally, I encourage you to be as honest and open as possible for purposes of research and please know that your identity will remain anonymous.
As a review of our process leading up to this interview, you were invited to participate via letter and signed an informed consent form that outlined the interview process and the condition of complete anonymity for the purpose of this study. Please remember, this interview will be recorded and transcribed, and you will be provided with a copy of the complete transcripts to check for accuracy in content and meaning prior to me analyzing the data. Do you have any questions before we begin? Begin to ask interview questions] Background Questions:
1. Please share a little about yourself both personally and professionally.
2. What positions did you hold prior to serving as a teacher here at (School Name)?
Content Questions:
3. What types of behaviors that require interventions do you see in the students in the classroom?
4. How would you describe the academic effects of the classroom therapy dog on student learning and behavior?
5. How would you describe the social- emotional effects of the classroom therapy dog on student learning and behavior?
6. Describe how the presence of the therapy dog with a handler affects academic engagement and time on task?
7. Describe how the presence of the therapy dog affects success rates on statewide achievement tests?
8. What are some measureable ways you have observed the therapy dog affecting student behavior? Why do you think the dog helps or hinders the students in each of these areas?
250
9. What has been the dog’s effect on the frequency of emotional crises events? Have they diminished or increased?
10. Please describe any specific procedures you have used to prepare a new student in the program for the therapy dog’s presence?
11. Were there any procedures that involved parents?
12. Are there rules in the classroom that apply specifically to the dog? How do you handle the situation when the rules are violated?
13. Have you observed an impact of the dog on the children’s empathy—toward the dog and toward others ( or peers)?
14. Have you ever observed a negative interaction between the child and the dog that concerned you? If so, please describe it.
15. Have you ever observed a particularly positive interaction between the child and the dog that you would like to share?
16. How would you describe changes in the children’ s attitudes toward school changed since the dog has been present in the classroom?
17. Has there been any impact on school attendance and culture?
18. Describe the administrative and logistical support needed for this program?
19. What barriers would you advise others to consider when attempting to implement this type of intervention?
20. Please share any other positive or negative impacts of having therapy dogs in the classroom that you may not have addressed in the course of my questioning.
251
APPENDIX H
BUIRB Approval Letter
252
APPENDIX I
NIH Certificate
DEFINING THE ROLE OF
SCHOOL- BASED POLICE OFFICERS
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement:
POLICING TODAY’S YOUTH
Introduction
With recent attention in the news, schools, administrators, and teachers have been looking to share how they evaluate school climate and student disciplinary issues. To create classrooms that foster success for students, the focus is shifting from a reliance on suspensions and expulsions to one that keeps students out of the juvenile justice system. As schools examine their policies and practices surrounding suspensions and expulsions, law enforcement executives are also examining the role of police in schools.
Chiefs and Sheriffs are turning to innovative partnerships with schools, youth service providers, families, and students to redefine the roles and responsibilities of school officers and facilitate positive interactions with their agencies. This brief aims to advance discussions about the roles for police on school campuses, and how a balanced approach regarding selection, training, and collaboration could strengthen campus safety, respectful relationships, and student success.
History of School- Police Partnerships
School-Police partnerships have a long history in the United States, of working together to enhance youth safety and reduce violence in schools. Programs like “Officer Friendly” date back to the 1960s.
The first school-based officer program began in Flint, Michigan in 1958. The overall goal for this first program was to improve relationships between local police and youth. Officer responsibilities included teaching, counseling, and mentoring students on a full-time basis. The program in Flint was seen as successful and became a framework for other school-based officer programs. The early school-police partnerships were often very informal, having no written guidelines (Wolff & McDevitt, 2008). This is still true today; however, there has been a significant push from schools and advocacy groups to better document and define these partnerships, using memoranda of understanding (MOUs) to ensure that the roles and responsibilities of schools and police are clearly delineated.
Early Programs to Bring Officers Inside Schools
The late 1970s and the mid 1990s brought strong growth in the number of School Resource Officers (SROs), and in programs like Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) and Gang Resistance Education and Training ( G.R.E.A.T.) in schools. G.R.E.A.T is an evidence-based, police-led classroom-lecture program designed to prevent delinquency, violence, and gang membership among juveniles. More information can be found at http://www.great-online.org/. In 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) reported thirty-eight percent (38%) of police departments used full-time SRO’s (James & McCallion, 2013). 1 The original intent of using school-based officers was to have the officers serve as trainers and mentors who would teach youth about safety. However, their role gradually became more focused on crime prevention and law enforcement. In recent years, as discussions about the role of police in schools has grown more prominent, police chiefs and school administrators are looking to revisit the role of police in schools with several goals in mind: (1) to clearly define the role of an officer on campus, and (2) to shift the police role in schools away from enforcing school rules, and more toward being a resource for students, teachers, and parents.
Police in Schools Today
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
2 Sacramento Police SRO Program
The Sacramento police and Sacramento Unified
School have partnered since 2001 to place school
resource officers in middle and high schools. The
department strives to improve student safety by
employing best practices and creative problem
solving, and by developing lasting relationships
within the school district. The main goal of the
program is to provide the safest possible learning
environment, relying on strong school- police
partnerships. The Sacramento Police Department
has nine SRO' s in Sacramento schools, and
officers are assigned based on which school
needs an officer the most and whose personality
would best fit each school.
School Resource Officers ( SROs)
are sworn law enforcement officers assigned
to a school on a long-term basis. The SRO is
specially trained and performs three main
roles: law enforcer, mentor/ counselor, and
educator.
School Safety Officers (SSOs)
are non-sworn civilians, typically with no
arrest powers, employed by the local school to
ensure the safety, security, and welfare of all
students, faculty, staff, and visitors. They are
also responsible for preventing crime and
investigating violations of school policies.
School Police Officers (SPOs)
are school district police officers with sworn
authority that work for a specific school police
department.
Los Angeles School Police
Department
School safety officers (SSO' s) are
non-armed civilian employees of the
Los Angeles School Police Department (LASPD) that receive training and equipment to ensure a safe and
effective educational environment in
schools. Some SSO's may work
closely with School Police Officers.
San Diego Unified Police Department
School police are full-time sworn officers with law enforcement capabilities. Their primary role is to maintain order and security on school grounds and provide a positive learning environment. School police are encouraged to engage with students, teachers, staff, and the community to foster school- police partnerships. School police officers, as part of a school police department, are hired directly by the school districts where state laws determine power for arrest.
Whether they are sworn officers or security officers, they are intended to serve various roles such as educators, mentors, community liaisons, and problem solvers. School- based officers play a vital role in the school system and can have many positive impacts on the students with whom they are involved ( Morgan, Salomon, Plotkin & Cohen, 2014).
As the national conversation on the role of police in schools has come into focus, the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) has been advocating that school-based policing should utilize what NASRO has identifiedas the ‘triad’ model of school resource officer responsibilities: educator, informal counselor, and law enforcement officer (NASRO, 2012). The Los Angeles Unified School District has decreased the total number of truancy tickets issued by 93.7%, reflecting the shifting law enforcement role of officers (Wantanabe, 2013).
There are many different titles and definitions associated with police and security personnel assigned to schools. Depending on the city or county construct, school-police partnerships and, specifically, the role of officers in schools can have many different models.
Depending on the jurisdiction, officers are assigned to schools in a variety of ways, and with different titles and roles.
Given this, for the purposes of this issue brief we will refer to officers (regardless of title) as school-based officers.
What is the Role of the Officer in a School?
Officers in school systems have diverse roles. School- based officers’ assignments in schools may vary depending on
the school district, but there are common responsibilities such as mentoring, teaching, creating partnerships, building relationships, and ensuring school safety. Time spent at the school also varies – hours assigned can be full-time, part-time, or on an on-call basis only. Officers often play a blended role in schools, depending on the unique characteristics of the school.
The most important things for school-based officers to know are what their role is and how to best engage with students, parents, administrators, teachers, and staff while on campus.
The most common representation of qualities and functions of school-based officer are:
Educator and Mentor
In many jurisdictions, officers not only patrol the halls and the campus complex, but also work in classrooms as instructors on topics that relate to policing.
Topics can include:
Policing as a career,
Criminal investigation,
Alcohol and drug awareness,
Gangs (G.R.E.A.T),
Crime prevention,
Conflict resolution / Restorative Justice and,
Motor vehicle safety.
Many officers also become mentors to youth in schools and develop positive relationships with students and their families. Many officers notice youth who seem at risk or vulnerable, and recognize that taking on a mentoring role can be invaluable – particularly if a youth needs assistance or does not have structure or stability in his/her home life. Being a mentor allows officers on campus to build relationships with these individuals and to help guide them through the personal, educational, and social pressures and stresses that are part of being an adolescent (California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, 2001).
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
3 MENTOR
TEACHER
COUNSELOR ENFORCER
Community Liaison and Problem Solver
One of the first things an officer may do when new to the school environment is become familiar with the key community resources available to them. These could include:
Mental health services,
Substance abuse assessment and treatment providers,
Child protective services,
Shelters,
Domestic violence services, and
Family counseling agencies.
When issues from the community follow students to the classroom and the school campus, officers on site can be a resource for school administrators and teachers by problem-solving and helping to figure out how to address issues.
Protector and Enforcer
While on campus, officers are responsible for public safety within the established school boundaries, which they perform by:
Serving as liaisons between the school, police, and the surrounding community; Ensuring the campus is safe from intruders;
Providing information to students and school personnel about law enforcement matters; Assuming primary responsibility for handling calls for service from the school and in coordinating the response of other police resources;
Addressing crime, monitoring/subduing gangs and drug-related activities occurring in or around school property;
Serving as hall monitors, truancy enforcers, crossing guards; and, Responding to off-campus criminal activity involving students.
Ideally, each officerin a school setting would have the expertise and experience to respond to a range of issues while on campus, and to be a positive resource to school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.
Clearly Defining Roles of School- Based Officers, School Administrators and Teachers:
Written Agreements.
An agreement clearly delineating roles and responsibilities serves the dual goals of maintaining safe campuses while treating students with respect and prioritizing their individual educational needs.
A helpful guide to school discipline issues and approaches to school-police partnerships is The School Discipline Consensus Report published in 2013 by The Justice Center of The Council of State Governments.
Morgan, E., Salomon, N., Plotkin, M., and Cohen, R., The School Discipline Consensus Report: Strategies from the Field to Keep Students Engaged in School and Out of the Juvenile Justice System, New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2014). This in-depth report provides examples of key elements of school-police agreements.
Defining the partnership includes determining when and how to involve officers in incidents occurring at school; deciding who will hire, train, supervise, and evaluate officers; and addressing information sharing and A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
4 legal issues including searches of students. One way to define partnerships is through Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs). MOUs are legal documents that outline the terms and conditions of an agreement between two parties, including the requirements and responsibilities for each party.
To view an example of a police - school MOU see Appendix: 1.
For general background on MOUs between police departments and schools, see: Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, September 2013, Memorandum of Understanding for FY2013 School-Based Partnerships at cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2013_MOU-FactSheet_v2_091613.pdf.
Recruitment and Selection for School- Based Officers
Officer recruitment and selection is among the first considerations oflaw enforcement executives when entering into a school-police partnership or when re-evaluating their current officer assignments and/or school-based officer programs. Like other specialized units within police departments, officers being recruited to work with youth should be part of a formal application process, which includes an interview with both police and school personnel, a review of previous assignments, and subsequent assignment processing.
Law enforcement executives, school leaders, and other stakeholders should work together to establish the criteria for finding the best school- based officer. Through an examination of the current literature, and existing successful school-police partnerships the Police Foundation believes the core qualities that every school- based officer should have include:
Demonstrated ability to teach and engage with youth, such as past coaching or mentoring experience;
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and
interpersonal skills coupled with an understanding of teen use of social media;
A positive attitude;
Previous experience as a patrol officer;
Ability to work independently;
Ability to work effectively as part of a team of youth-serving professionals;
Willingness to develop partnerships with students, parents, families, community organizations, and school
administrators;
Recognition that student success is the primary outcome sought; Knowledge of school-based legal issues;
Knowledge of school and social service resources;
Understanding of child development and psychology;
Understanding of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED); and
Knowledge of school safety technology and implementation. 3 Raymond, 2010; Finn et al., 2013)
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
5 Because finding the right person to work in schools is so critical, the recruitment and selection of school-based officers should be a joint effort between police executives, the school leadership, and community partners. Given the importance of police in schools, having a community process for selecting the officers increases transparency and builds trust, fostering communities and families who are more likely to stand behind their school-based officer.4
Furthermore, officers should not be involuntarily assigned to schools or to a school-based officer unit; rather, volunteers should be solicited for the position. By soliciting volunteers, there will be a higher likelihood of engaging officers who want to work with youth and in a school setting. Departments should post the assignment using more than one method ( e-mail, mail, bulletin boards, etc.) to ensure that the entire department has access, so that those who are interested and eligible can compete for this assignment.
Once officers apply and are selected forinterviews, engaging school administrators in selecting school officers is important because they are most familiar with the youth, families, and schools’ inner workings and can bring important context to the selection process.5
Training the School-Based Officer
Given the complex issues that teachers and school administrators face with their student populations, ranging from special education needs, physical and mental health issues, and child welfare, to name a few, it is important that law enforcement officers who are assigned to schools also receive specialized training. Law enforcement agencies should, as part of their school-police partnership, identify and make specialized training available to those officers assigned to schools. This training can be done through the state Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST), or at the local academy level.
The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) offers many courses for school-based officers. Two classes to consider are:
1) Basic SRO Course, for officers with two years or less of experience who are working in an educational environment. This forty-hour course teaches officers how to effectively work as a school resource officer by teaching three main things: how to function as a police officer in the school setting; howto be a resource and problem solver; and how to develop teaching skills. Information on the course can be found at https://nasro.org/basic-sro-course/.
2) Advanced SRO Course, for officers already working in an educational environment. It is a twenty-four- hour block of instruction, and builds an officer’ s knowledge and skills as a law enforcement officer, informal counselor, andeducator. Information onthecoursecanbefoundathttps://nasro.org/advanced-sro-course/.
Training should focus on key issues like:
Child and adolescent development, with an emphasis on the impact of trauma on student behavior, health, and learning;
Subconscious (or implicit) bias (that all people experience) that can disproportionately impact youth of color and youth with disabilities or mental health issues; Crisis intervention for youth;
Alternatives to detention and incarceration, such as peer courts, restorative justice, etc.; and Legal issues like special protections for learning-disabled students.
By providing specialized training, officers will be better equipped to engage with youth. As part of the schoolpolice partnership, chief executives from law enforcement and schools should consider providing crosstraining for officers and teachers on subjects like the roles of teachers and officers, enforcement of school rules, child development (including identifying and addressing trauma / mental health issues), and classroom management and conflict resolution strategies.
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
6 Examples of Specialized Training: The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice provides many specific trainings. Two examples relevant to school-based officers are:
Mental Health Training Curriculum for Juvenile Justice Professionals: The Mental Health Training Curriculum for Juvenile Justice ( MHTC-JJ) provides juvenile justice staff with basic information about adolescent development, mental health disorders commonly seen within the juvenile justice system, effective treatment services for youth, and the important role of family.
Specialized Youth Training for CIT Officers: Crisis Intervention specialized training can provide invaluable cross-training experience for officers. The Crisis Intervention Teams for Youth (CIT-Y) training instructs officers certified in the 40-hour CIT program on how to expand their skills to address the unique needs of adolescents with mental health issues. It covers important topics such as adolescent development, common psychiatric disorders among youth, crisis response techniques, and community options for youth.
More specialized training options can be explored at:
http://www.ncmhjj.com/services/trainings/.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers a manual to aid in the development of better policeyouth interactions. Their CIT for Youth manual provides specialized step-by-step instructions for implementing a Crisis Intervention program in your community. The manual covers ways to build community partnerships, asset mapping, planning and coordination, youth training, and addresses measuring effectiveness and maintaining sustainability. View the manual at http://www.nami.org/getattachment/ LawEnforcement-and-Mental-Health/What-Is-CIT/CIT-for-Youth/Responding-to-Youth-with-Mental-HealthNeeds_NAMI.pdf.
Policing the Teen Brain in School, and training by Strategies for Youth, address issues including child and youth development, legal issues about information sharing, and issues related to special protections for children with emotional behavioral disabilities. For more information on Strategies for Youth, see www.strategiesforyouth.org.
Oversight and Transparency
Itisimportanttogrowtrustthroughproperoversightandtransparencyofschool-basedofficers’ performance. For example, a community board that includes parents, youth advocates, and social service providers can regularly review all school-based incidents leading to law enforcement intervention ( while maintaining confidentiality of individual students) to ensure that student treatment is fair and equal. School-based arrest and related data, broken down by gender, age, race, and other factors, could be analyzed by such a community board on a regular basis to ensure that school-based officers’ actions are in line with school community values, and that students are only being referred to law enforcement for serious acts posing safety threats to the school community. In this way, school-based officers will build greater trust and become more effective mentors, educators, and protectors of public safety.
Conclusion
As explored in the Teen Brain Youth Brief, officers should understand that juveniles and adults interpret and react to situations, social clues, and interpersonal communications differently ( Thurau & Bostic, 2012).
School-based officers can provide youth with caring, skilled adults that they can trust, and make effective referrals to youth serving organizations or specialists to address students’ individual needs. School-based officers will be most effective if the individuals selected for this important position have a commitment to understanding individual student needs, and are trained on relevant youth development, legal, and educational issues. For more information about advancing the partnership between police, youth, and communities, please see the other issue briefs in this series.
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
7 References
Bahney, A., Daugirda, R., Firman, J., Kurash, A., & Rhudy, K. (2014, July). Law Enforcement’s leadership role in juvenile justice reform: Actionable recommendations for practice and policy. International Association of Chiefs of Police.
California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (2001). School resource officer standardized core course curricula. Retrieved from http://lib.post.ca.gov/Publications/60700295.pdf.
Ferriss, S. (2012, June). L.A. school police, district agrees to rethink court citation of students. The Center for Public Integrity. Retrieved from http://www.publicintegrity.org/.
Finn, P., Shively, M., McDevitt, J., Lassiter, W., & Rich, T. ( 2005). Comparison of program activities and lessons learned among 19 School Resource Officer ( SRO) programs. ( NCJ-209272). Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Justice.
Finn, P., Townsend, M., Shively, M., & Rich, T. ( 2013). A Guide to Developing, Maintaining, and Succeeding With Your School Resource Officer Program. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
James, N., & McCallion, G. (2013). School resource officers: Law enforcement officers in schools. (CRS Report No. R43126). Retrieved from Congressional Research Service https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43126.pdf.
Kyritsis, Greg (2015, January). Senior Law Enforcement Consultant, CA Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training ( POST), Sacramento, CA. POST Career Pipeline Concept. https://www.post.ca.gov/ addressing-recruitment-challenges.aspx.
Myers, P. ( 1972). Police in the schools: two troubled institutions meet. City, January-February: 27-31.
Morgan, E., Salomon, N., Plotkin, M. & Cohen, R. (2014). The school discipline consensus report: Strategies from the field to keep students engaged in school and out of the juvenile justice system. U.S. Department of Education and Justice, The Council of State Governments.
National Association of School Resource Officers. (2012). To protect & educate: The school resource officer and the prevention of violence in schools. Retrieved from https://nasro.org/.
Raymond, B. (2010). Assigning Police Officers to Schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Thurau, L., & Bostic, J. (2012). The need for development competence for adults working with youth. Retrieved from http://youthtoday.org/2012/01/the-need-for-developmental-competence-for-adults-working-with-youth/.
Watanabe, T. ( 2013, November). LAUSD issuing far fewer truancy tickets, report says. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com/.
Wolff, R., & McDevitt, J. (2008). School/Police Partnerships: Best practices and lessons learned. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Assistance, Officeof Justice Programs.
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
8 About the Project
The Police Foundation, with funding from the California Endowment and with the support of the California State Sheriffs’ Association and the California Police Chiefs Association, has developed this series of issue briefs to address various components of a successful Police-Youth-Family-Community Partnership. These briefs are designed for California law enforcement leaders with a tool-kit that helps advance strategies around youth engagement. Other briefs in this series cover topics including the teen brain and establishig a career pipeline.
About the Police Foundation
The Police Foundation is a national, non-profit, bipartisan organization that, consistent with its commitment to improve policing, has been on the cutting edge of police innovation for over 40 years. The Police Foundation’s work is informed by available evidence and aims to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The professional staff at the Police Foundation works closely with law enforcement, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, victim advocates, and community-based organizations in order to develop research, comprehensive reports, policy briefs, model policies, and innovative programs that will continue to support the work of law enforcement personnel as it relates to increasing strong community-police partnerships. http://www.policefoundation.org
About the California Endowment
TheCaliforniaEndowmentisaprivate, statewidehealthfoundationwithamissiontoexpandaccesstoaffordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities, and to promote fundamental improvements in the health status of all Californians. Health Happens Here is the core of our work. It challenges us to think about people’s health beyond the doctor’s office and beyond the good vs. bad choices people make. In reality, our health happens where we live, learn, work and play—in neighborhoods, schools, and with prevention. http://www.calendow.org/our-story/
About the California Police Chiefs Association
Established in 1966, the California Police Chiefs Association is an organization that represents municipal law enforcement agencies in California.
The State has been divided into 16 regions and the police chief representative from those areas isalso amember of the Board. Each regional representative acts as the official liaison between the Association and Police Chiefs in the local area regarding issues related to the law enforcement community and the administration of municipal police agencies.
TheCaliforniaPolice ChiefsAssociation isaninfluential participant in the State of California’ s legislative process.
The Association stretches throughout the state and its membership is comprised of many well respected and nationally recognized Police Chiefs.
The objectives of the association are to promote and advance the science and art of police administration and crime prevention; and to develop and disseminate professional administrative practices, and to promote their use in the police profession; to foster police cooperation and the exchange of information and experience throughout the State; to bring about recruitment and training of qualified persons in the police profession; to encourage the adherence of all police officers to high professional standards of conduct in strict compliance with the Law Enforcement Officer’ s Code of Ethics.
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
9 The California Police Chiefs Association committees offer involvement in working with peers to assess current issues in lawenforcement and develop solutions, ideas and projects in response tothose issues. The California Police Chiefs Association committees are active in developing publications, sample policies and guidelines which serve to assist members in their jobs. Standing committees of the Association include: Training, Standards & Ethics, Law & Legislation, Nominations & Past Presidents, Associate Member, Small Agency, Large Agency, Technology, Communication/ Membership, and Retired Members. As contemporary issues are identified, ad hoc committees are established to provide guidance to the Association and its membership.
The political environment mandates that The California Police Chiefs Association speak on behalf of police leadership and for the law enforcement community in California. The California Police Chiefs Association provides the opportunity for a voice in the legislature by influencing public safety legislation through The California Police Chiefs Association Government Relations Program.
The California Police Chiefs Association Annual Conference provides the opportunity to participate in educational session, listen to keynote speakers on issues related to the administration of law enforcement agencies and the industry, and interact and network with other municipal chiefs of police. http://www.californiapolicechiefs. org/introduction
About the California State Sheriff’s Association
California State Sheriffs’ Association (CSSA) is a nonprofit professional organization comprised of the 58 sheriffs along with thousands of law-abiding citizens throughout the state. The association was formed in 1894 for the purpose of giving California sheriffs a single effective voice. It was also formed for the purpose of sharing information and providing assistance to sheriffs and departmental personnel, thus enabling them to improve the delivery of law enforcement services to the citizens of this State.
Every sheriff works diligently with fellow sheriffs through CSSA to improve the profession and to elevate the law enforcement system through cooperation with other law enforcement agencies. As the sheriffs are constitutionally elected officials, the California legislature regulates their duties and responsibilities. The sheriffs serve as upholders for your public safety needs. CSSA functions as a legislative watchdog for the county sheriff and sheriff’s personnel as well as for citizens on professional and law enforcement issues.
The California State Sheriff’s Association’s mission is to support the role of sheriff as the chief law enforcement officer in each California County and to speak as a collective voice on matters of public safety. https://www.calsheriffs.org/about-us.html
A Toolkit for California Law Enforcement: POLICING TODAY’ S YOUTH Defining the Role of School- Based Police Officers
10 Acknowledgements
The development of these issue briefs was led by Police Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Mora L. Fielder and Project Associate Mary Sigler. Also contributing were Police Foundation Vice President Blake Norton and Director of Programs Jennifer Zeunik.
We appreciate the support and guidance from the following people:
Barbara Raymond, Program Director, The California Endowment Barrie Becker, J.D., State Director and Special Projects Director for Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, California Council for a Strong America
Chief Sam Somers, Sacramento Police Department
Mo Canady, Executive Director, National Association of School Resource Officers ( NASRO) Nina Salomon, Senior Policy Analyst, CSG Justice Center Lisa Thurau, Executive Director, Strategies for Youth
Leslie McGill, Executive Director, California Police Chiefs Association Carmen Green, Executive Director, California State Sheriffs’ Association We also appreciate the the City of Oakland and the City of Pasadena for providing sample Memoranda of Understanding for inclusion in this brief.
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