School Resource Officer Program

December 10, 2018 School Resource Officer Pilot Program Discontinued

The Board of Education voted to officially direct D64 to discontinue work to plan/implement an SRO pilot at the middle schools, and also dissolved its SRO Board Committee.

Earlier Updates on SRO Program

Prior to the launch of the pilot School Resource Officer (SRO) program at our middle schools, District 64 has been working to develop Intergovernmental Agreements (IGAs) with the Village of Niles for Emerson Middle School and the City of Park Ridge for Lincoln Middle School that define and provide parameters for the SRO program. The IGAs are drafted to reflect the District's goal of creating an SRO program focused primariy on education and resource activities.

November 2018 Update
The Board at the November 12, 2018 meeting reached consensus to vote at the regular December 10 meeting to discontinue work on establishing an SRO pilot program. The new SRO Board Committee had conducted its first meeting on October 30, but will not be reconvened as the Board instructed the District to discontinue all activities related to the SRO pilot until the formal December action. 

Fall 2018 Update
The Board at the June 25, 2018 meeting approved the creation of a new SRO Board Committee. Over the summer, community members were invited to nominate themselves or others to serve as members or act as resources for the committee's work.

The SRO Board Committee is expected to be a short-term committee tasked with creating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that aligns to a draft Mission Statement, which will need to be finalized by this committee and then approved by the Board. The committee will also ensure the draft Intergovernmental Agreements with the City of Park Ridge and Village of Niles align with desired outcomes of the pilot SRO program. (The most current versions are from May 2018, and are provided below.)

At the September 24, 2018 meeting, Board members reached consensus on a checklist of logistical questions and operating procedures for the new committee. Board members Rick Biagi and Tom Sotos, who have been designated as co-chairs for the new SRO Committee, reported on progress of selecting members and plans to convene the group for the first time. The committee will operate under the Open Meetings Act, and agendas and minutes will be included on the official Board meetings webpage; regular reports also will be provided at each subsequent Board of Education meeting.

May 2018 Update
At the May 21, 2018 meeting, the Board reviewed and reached agreement on updated draft IGAs, which incorporate the proposed mission statement as Exhibit A of the draft IGAs. The mission statement is intended to be consistent with the SRO duties found on Exhibit C of each IGA.

Following this Board review and discussion, the drafts were updated to be presented to the City of Park Ridge and Village of Niles for further consideration. The drafts are available here:

  • May 24, 2018 Draft Intergovernmental Agreement by and between the Board of Education of Park Ridge-Niles CC School District 64 and the City of Park Ridge for a School Resource Officer Program (Exhibit A is the Mission Statement)
  • May 24, 2018 Draft Intergovernmental Agreement by and between the Board of Education of Park Ridge-Niles CC School District 64 and the Village of Niles for a School Resource Officer Program (Exhibit A is the Mission Statement).

April 2018 Update
The Board continues to discuss and revise drafts of the separate IGAs for Park Ridge and Niles, which are available here:

January 2018 Update
At the January 22, 2018 Board of Education meeting, the Board agreed to make public the drafts IGAs along with a report prepared by outside counsel providing additional legal perspectives. In addition, the Board requested that other materials providing a range of background information also be provided to the community.

The materials below offer a range of information and perspectives about SRO programs, and are among the resources District 64 referenced in developing its draft IGAs:

SRO Pilot Approved for 2017-18 School Year - August 2017

The Board of Education at the August 28, 2017 meeting approved a one-year pilot to introduce the SRO presence to both Emerson and Lincoln. The SROs are another means to help strengthen family/community partnerships that are essential to supporting District 64’s comprehensive social emotional learning curriculum for all students addressed as part of the 2020 Vision Strategic Plan.

Read more here about the SRO pilot program and the introduction of new curricular materials to support social emotional learning, called Second Step.

Superintendent Laurie Heinz, school principals, and local law enforcement presented an overview of the upcoming SRO pilot program at the September 2017 PTO meetings. View their presentation below.

Together We Discover, Learn, Grow & Care

At D64, our mission is to foster opportunities for discovery, engagement, and growth for all students. We accomplish this by nurturing interdependence, appreciation of differences, and care for self and others.

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