From the Highway to the Hallway

PICTURED ABOVE

Meghan Martin, director of Integrated School Mental Health, with the Center for Instructional Behavior in Schools, based out of the University of Louisville, said SROs are taught signs and symptoms they may encounter in school-aged children. (Photo by Jim Robertson)

The role of school resource officers (SROs) is a diverse one. During their day, SROs serve as law enforcement officers, law-related counselors, and educators. Among the varied situations, they come across are students experiencing trauma or other mental health challenges.

Based on statistics, successfully navigating those challenges is necessary for every SRO.

According to the Association for Children’s Mental Health, 1 in 5 school-aged children have a diagnosable emotional, behavioral or mental health disorder. In contrast, 1 in 10 have severe enough challenges to impair how they function at school.

With so many young people facing challenges, SROs throughout Kentucky must be prepared to recognize the signs of mental health or trauma-related issues and act appropriately.

That is where proper training comes into play, said Department of Criminal Justice Training Law Enforcement Instructor Bill Eckler. 

Mental Health Training

With the passage of the School Safety and Resiliency Act in 2019, DOCJT revamped its SRO training into three phases (SRO I, SRO II and SRO III) and devoted 10 hours of mental health training into the curriculum, Eckler said.

Department of Criminal Justice Training Law Enforcement Instructor Bill Eckler (Photo by Jim Robertson)

“Sometimes police officers are very matter of fact,” Eckler said. “They have to come in and remedy the situation quickly. However, with some children, that mental health awareness gives you a different perspective that lets them know they might have to come in, talk softly and take a different approach.”

To ensure the best training available to Kentucky’s SROs, DOCJT brought in Meghan Martin, director of Integrated School Mental Health, with the Center for Instructional Behavioral Research in Schools, based out of the University of Louisville, to teach blocks of training on the subject.

With her teaching, Martin “has turned on the lights” for SROs, showing them that a lot of times these kids cannot help the way they’re acting,” Eckler pointed out.

Eckler said the training focuses on youth mental health awareness, understanding children with special needs, and trauma-informed action.

“It is broken down where the SRO understands the triggers,” Eckler said. “The SROs are trained to understand ‘Why is that child acting the way they are?’ As SROs, we look beyond. We don’t look at them like ‘That kid needs an attitude adjustment’ or ‘That kid needs to be dealt with using the old-school method where they think the kid is just ornery or whatever.’”

There are situations that trigger (the student’s) reaction, and Martin explains it to the SROs in class and offers suggestions that will allow them to counterbalance those actions.

Director of Integrated School Mental Health, with the Center for Instructional Behavioral Research in Schools, Meghan Martin. (Photo by Jim Robertson)

“Under the mental health awareness, we talk about the signs and symptoms SROs may see in school-aged children,” Martin said. “The behavior could present as withdrawal or aggression. It could happen in the cafeteria, hallways, or classrooms. We also talk about some of the warning signs that could indicate mental health issues in children.”

Martin said that SROs learn some of the more common mental health diagnoses seen in elementary, middle- and high school students.

During the course, she explained that treatment options are available to students and as well as what that might look like in a school setting.

“We as teachers, principals and SROs are not qualified to make those determinations,” she stressed. “We talk a lot about that. We don’t want them doing that. It’s about looking for potential warning signs in students such as behavioral changes and alert the counselors.”

Trauma Exposure

However, Martin cautioned that not every behavioral issue an SRO might come across is mental-health related.

Some issues seen in school settings could be trauma-related issues.

According to Martin, 1 in 3 Kentucky students before the age of 8 will be exposed to significant adversities.

“To me, that statistic shows more students are being exposed to trauma daily than mental health challenges,” she pointed out.

The four basic types of trauma are taught to SROs. Those are:

• Abuse

• Neglect

• Household Dysfunction

• Other

“With students, most of the time, there isn’t one single incident that affects kids. It’s multiple events that crossover into the different categories,” she said. “We call that complex trauma.”

Trauma comes in many forms, Martin explained.

“The student could be dealing with a domestic violence situation, or maybe a parent or guardian has been incarcerated, or an unexpected death,” she said.

Based on his experience, students who have been exposed to trauma generally disengage at school, Eckler said.

“Through training, SROs use the skills to try to interpret the disengagement,” Eckler explained. “Is there a reason behind it? With the Handle with Care program, officers are trained to make notifications using the Kentucky Open Portal System if they are at a scene where a young person has seen or experienced trauma. Officers are trained to look for that when they answer calls.”

(Photo by Jim Robertson)

Relationships – An SROs Best Tool

With all the statistics and mental-health and trauma-informed information being taught during the SRO courses, Eckler and Martin both agreed that the best tool an SRO has is his or her ability to connect with the students and school staff.

“When it comes to mental health and trauma, we talk to them about their role as an SRO, and how developing positive relationships with students daily can make such a huge impact,” Martin said. “Through the training sessions, we can define what their role is and what their role isn’t.”

Eckler agreed.

“When I was an SRO (with the Berea Police Department), I made it a point every week to get to know the special needs students a little more on a personal basis and find out the things the students like, such as hobbies or pets,” Eckler explained. “Then, when a situation arose, and the student saw me. They knew me, and they knew I wasn’t a threat. That allowed me to talk to them in these situations, and I understood them and where they are coming from.”

Ultimately, being successful in handling a student dealing with trauma or a mental health issue often boils down to the SRO, Eckler said.

“An SRO is not a position for every police officer,” he pointed out. “Just like every police officer would not be a good accident reconstructionist or detective. It just comes naturally for some, and I feel like an SRO is the same way. There is a big difference between the highway and the hallway. When they get off the highway and step into the hallway, it’s a different style of policing.”