Purpose
Students who fight at school are arrested. But they can choose to avoid prosecution by completing conflict resolution courses, which focus on improving communication and problem-solving skills. The courses are designed to identify the root causes of violence and teach students the needed skills to prevent future incidents.
Responsibilities
Simultaneously, in addition to being the primary law enforcement officer on the campus, the deputies assigned as resource officers serve in many capacities:
- Mentors
- Reality counselors
- Resource teachers
Curriculum
Resource officers are schooled in presentations that fit the state-adopted curricula. They can address government classes on topics such as:
- English classes about report writing
- Health classes regarding drug and alcohol abuse
- Home economics classes about child abuse and domestic violence
- Math classes about traffic accident reconstruction
- Search and seizure laws
Impact
The impact at the parish's two high schools, where the program was first introduced, was immediate. Based on that success, the program was expanded that year to include the four middle schools. The number of school-related fights continues to drop and, since its inception, other school systems nationwide have duplicated
St. Charles Parish's model with similar results.