First Day of School Vibes!

The excitement, the fresh notebooks, the buzz in the air—there’s nothing quite like the first day of school!

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Whether you’re stepping into a new grade or starting at a new school, today is the beginning of an amazing adventure. Remember, each day is a chance to learn something new and meet someone new!

Speaking of meeting someone new, did you know we have a new School Resource Officer?

We are excited to announce that Officer Jamie Samuels has been assigned as the new School Resource Officer (SRO). Officer Samuels brings a wealth of experience and dedication to her role, and we are thrilled to have her on board to help ensure a safe and positive environment for our students, staff, and community. Officer Samuels has earned her school resource officer certification and is ready to walk the halls at Pine Road Elementary & Murray Avenue Schools. She will join existing SRO Brommer in helping to keep our children, teachers, and staff safe. 

We are confident that SRO Brommer and SRO Samuels will maintain safety, but also serve as mentors and resources for our school community. 

In January of 2020, we implemented a School Resource Officer position in our department to better serve our schools in the township. Four years later, we implemented a second School Resource Officer position for our four schools. 

A school resource officer, by federal definition, is a career law enforcement officer with sworn authority who is deployed by an employing police department or agency in a community-oriented policing assignment to work in collaboration with one or more schools. Those officers receive at least 40 hours of specialized training in school policing before being assigned. All SROs are issued and carry all the same equipment they’d have on any other law enforcement assignment.

The goals of a well-founded SRO includes providing a safe learning environment in the school, providing valuable resources to school staff members, fostering positive relationships with youth, develop strategies to resolve problems affecting youth and protect all students, so that they can reach their fullest potentials. The three main roles of a school resource officer are an educator (i.e. guest lecturer), informal counselor/mentor, and law enforcement officer.

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