Poll: 80% of parents want SROs in schools

Sara Smith
·3 min read
1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Most parents want school resource officers (SROs) in elementary schools.

A large percentage of them said SROs would help ward off dangers in the classroom. That’s according to a recent poll by Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC).

Joshua Liberty loves his job as an SRO in Dickson County.

Covenant School father speaks about lack of gun reform

“It’s hard to say, but I’ve lived a good life, so if anything were to happen, I’ll do anything for these babies at my school,” Liberty said.

A recent poll by VUMC shows parents appreciate SROs, too. Approximately 80% of parents think their students are safer when an officer is present.

“It’s your presence,” Liberty said. “It allows people to see you and be aware that you’re there, and that kind of stops the people from wanting to go crazy at an elementary school.”

This statistic was released nearly a year after the Covenant School shooting.

“There’s some crazy people out there and they want to get into the schools and they want to do things that’ll hurt the children and stop them from being able to learn in a healthy environment,” Liberty said.

TN Democrats file multiple gun reform bills

For the first time in a long time, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) has put an SRO in every middle and high school thanks to grant money from the state. However, SROs currently are not in elementary schools.

Officials with the Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) said they patrol during school hours, but don’t have the manpower to staff an SRO at every elementary school right now.

Liberty said his priority is protecting all students.

“When they get to fifth grade, they get kind of, ‘I’m not a baby,'” Liberty said. “I’m like, ‘Yeah but you’re my baby. You guys don’t understand that when you’re here, you’re my kids and I have to protect you.'”

News 2 reached out to the MNPD for a statement on the issue and received this response:

Last September we became fully staffed with SROs in Middle and High schools. Our safety initiative continues outside elementary schools and our precinct commanders have directed officers to pay special attention to elementary schools when in session. As you know, staffing is a balancing act. We continue to work with MNPS on coverage.

⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com

MNPS, meanwhile, sent the following statement to News 2:

For the first time in several years, the MNPD has been able to fully staff the SRO program for middle and high schools.

Our team has been working with the Metro Nashville Police Department to develop an effective and age-appropriate elementary School Resource Officer program, as part of our broader collaboration and partnership around school safety. SROs are selected from the existing police force, and so we understand that it may take a while for staffing to catch up with the need and desire for more SROs.

In the meantime, the MNPD has enhanced the safety of our elementary schools with additional patrols and police officers stationed outside of schools to add an extra layer of protection and visibility.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.