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Springdale announces shift from SROs to CSSOs at select schools, chiefs support transition
Summary
District leadership announced a planned transition that will convert several school resource officer positions to commissioned school safety officers (CSSOs) at Rollins Elementary and four middle schools, increasing CSSO staffing and reducing SRO numbers; chiefs from local police departments signaled support.
Springdale School District leaders announced at the April 8 board meeting that the district will transition some school resource officer (SRO) positions to commissioned school safety officers (CSSOs) at Rollins Elementary and at four middle schools.
The presenter said the move will align Rollins with the security model already in place at 17 other elementary schools and will expand the CSSO model across additional campuses. Administration reported that under the change the district will shift from 18 CSSOs and 16 SROs to 23 CSSOs and 11 SROs in the next school year.
The presenter said both Springdale and Taneytown police chiefs were consulted and have expressed support for the transition. Administration characterized the change as preserving "the highest level of security" while producing a cost savings to the district.
Officials described the operational similarities and differences between the roles as discussed with police leaders: both SROs and CSSOs were described as having the same top priority in an active-assailant situation; however, administration said CSSOs do not have arrest or ticket-writing authority while SROs have powers that CSSOs do not. The presenter also said the district has a plan for cross training and ongoing collaboration with police partners.
The presenter said staff and middle-school principals had been briefed and gave the conversion a positive reception. No formal board vote to implement the changes appears in the meeting transcript; the transition was presented as an administrative plan supported by local law-enforcement partners.
The district said the staffing model will place experienced personnel at the affected campuses and that middle-school principals reported confidence in the plan.
