School resource officer reports engagement, casework and plans to track equity of interactions

Officer Michael Bates told the Ashland School Board on May 8 that his first nine months as the district's school resource officer (SRO) have focused on engagement, training, and a trauma-informed approach to incidents that otherwise might have gone directly to patrol officers.

Why it matters: The SRO's role touches student safety, enforcement and relationships across campuses. Bates described outreach, trainings, classroom visits, event support and casework that he said have reduced burden on patrol and detectives while providing a consistent point of contact for students and families.

What Bates reported: Bates said the SRO position is funded by the Ashland Police Department and that he has been assigned full-time to the district since August. He described training he completed (NASRO basic training, anti-bias and standard response protocols) and said his approach emphasizes warm handoffs to service providers and restorative options when appropriate.

Bates said he has opened about 85 cases that he personally handled and that case work includes incident reports, confidential investigations (including sexual assault and child abuse), violations (minor possession), misdemeanors and felonies. He described roughly 32 general incident reports as the largest single category in his caseload overview. Bates also said he has logged about 180 hours of overtime for engagement at events, classroom visits and extracurriculars.

On engagement and partnerships Bates said daily rapport building has led students to seek him out for help; he listed examples such as classroom presentations on distracted driving and internet safety, event control for the high-school homecoming parade, and coordination with local emergency management for drills. Bates credited a ‘‘trusted team of officers, detectives and advocates''and a familiar face''as helpful in victim-centered responses.

Equity and data: Trustees asked whether the district is tracking demographic information about SRO interactions with students (race, special-education status, gender identity). Bates said arrest and enforcement demographics are tracked by the police department; he said the district does not yet systematically log engagement demographics but that he plans to develop better tracking of outreach and engagement data and to earn invitations to affinity groups rather than entering uninvited. He also discussed an emerging operational issue: electric bikes used by students, including models that lack pedals and present safety concerns and potential statutory citation for riders under age 16. Bates said he has spoken 1-on-1 with students and families and will coordinate informational flyers at the start of next year.

Impact on APD: Bates said his presence frees patrol officers and detectives to focus on other caseloads because the SRO can take a case through initial reporting and follow-up, reducing transfers between units.

Looking ahead: Bates asked the district to help him track engagement data more consistently through dispatch or administrative logs and asked for invitations to affinity groups so he can build trust before participating. The board and staff expressed appreciation for Bates' work and for the positive student feedback he reported.