ASHLAND CITY, Tenn. (WTVF) — As students and teachers prepare for the first day of school, those responsible for their safety are also readying themselves. Cheatham County schools resume next week, and school resource officers (SROs) are eager and prepared for the upcoming year.
Sergeant Lee McCollum with the Cheatham County school resource officer program says he is excited for the start of school.
"We're excited to get back and we've been training all summer for this. We love being around the kids. We love seeing their faces when they come up to us. The hugs that we get from the little ones," McCollum said.
The SROs have been busy throughout the summer, engaging in extensive training to ensure a safe school year.
"We have been training a lot. We've been training in multiple states across the nation. We've been here in Tennessee, of course, we've been down to Alabama and as far west as Arizona," McCollum said.
In Tennessee, SROs are required to complete 40 hours of basic training in school policing within twelve months of their assignment and at least 16 hours annually thereafter. McCollum hitting on the importance of their role within the sheriff's department. "Our goal, our ultimate goal is to stop that threat and we're going to do that for everybody within the schools, whether it be students, staff, or parents."
Cheatham County has 13 schools staffed with 16 SROs, making the district fully staffed. McCollum acknowledged the impact of the state's newest grant.
"We applied for the grant with the state, and we got it last year and we're getting it again this year. It's for a lot of things: to pay for salary and benefits, training, and equipment. That's what it's mainly used for, and so we're using it for all that."
Despite the extensive training and responsibilities, McCollum noted that the best part of the job is interacting with the students.
"They’re seeing our face first thing and they’re seeing us when they leave at the end of the day as well," he said.
Last year, Tennessee awarded $140 million in grants to add school resource officers at schools across the state, further ensuring the safety and well-being of students and staff.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at (kelsey.gibbs@newschannel5.com).
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
