Teachers and administrators aren’t the only ones hard at work in the summer months in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Every summer, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department School Resource Officers participate in specialized training that helps keep campuses and students safe.
This year, for the first time, the 16 SROs engaged in a SRO Summer Summit – a 40-hour training course that covers a variety of topics including behavioral threat assessments, updates on laws pertaining to juveniles, how to handle suspected child abuse, how to gauge whether a student is under the influence, and how to ensure campuses are safeguarded against threats.
The training culminated with a scenario-based active shooter drill that included student volunteers from the OCSD Explorer program and several administrators from local school districts.
Administrators were encouraged to participate in the training to better understand what the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s response looks like during a critical incident, such as an active shooter.
Following the SRO Summit, law enforcement personnel, along with teachers, administrators, school counselors and school nurses, participated in a joint training focused on addressing school violence and how to manage threats.
The thorough and dynamic training helps ensure Orange County schools are not only prepared for a critical incident, but also that school officials and law enforcement are equipped to recognize pre-incident indicators and effectively manage various types of threats.
