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School resource officers report safety training changes, traffic and door fixes; Holgate SRO to new mental‑health role
Summary
SROs updated the Aberdeen School District board on expanded staff training for ALICE lockdown drills, a new flashing stop-sign installation at 13th and South Third Street, praise for rapid door repairs, and personnel changes including Officer Wolf moving to a mental-health resource officer role and a new roving SRO.
School resource officers told the Aberdeen School District board May 12 that the district will expand hands-on staff training for ALICE lockdown and evacuation scenarios and that several site-level safety improvements have reduced traffic complaints near elementary routes.
Officer Kernan said the district and Aberdeen Police Department have assigned officers to schools for 25 years and described efforts to build routine, trust-based relationships with students and staff. Kernan said staff requested more hands-on training after a post-drill Google survey; the police department will use staff-development days next year to provide scenario-based exercises without students present and will create a training video staff can review in advance.
Officers also reported operational improvements requested by schools. Officer Olson described a new solar-powered flashing stop-sign installation at the 13th and South Third Street intersection; he said the flashing signs now operate starting about 6:30 a.m. and have reduced traffic complaints at that location to one reported incident this year. Officers credited the city engineer and street department for the work.
Board members and officers praised district facilities employee Luke Rindells for quickly repairing classroom and exterior doors flagged by SROs during safety checks.
At Holgate Elementary, Officer Wolf said this is his final year as the building SRO; he will move to a new Aberdeen Police Department position as the department’s first mental-health resource officer. Wolf said the role will respond to citywide calls involving mental-health or substance-use concerns and that department trainings and his prior crisis work prepared him for the assignment. The board and staff thanked Wolf for his service and welcomed plans to appoint a replacement SRO at Holgate; the board heard that Officer Connie Valencia will assume the Holgate SRO role.
Officer Klein described the roving SRO position — a first full year covering all six public elementary schools plus four private schools — and said the role emphasizes relationship-building with younger students, routine door checks, and on-site assistance for staff questions and welfare checks.
No board action was required; the SROs’ items were informational updates and personnel notices reported during the superintendent’s reports.
