As a teacher at Battle Ground High School with a background in criminal justice, I see firsthand the impact our school resource officer (SRO) has on students and staff.
With the upcoming levy vote, I feel compelled to speak about why keeping our SRO program is critical — not just for extreme situations, but for everyday safety and wellbeing.
The conversation about school safety is personal to me. After the 2018 Parkland shooting, my students shared their fears. Their concerns sent me on a quest to research the best ways to keep them safe, leading me to a deeper understanding of what truly works: proactive prevention, strong relationships and immediate response — all of which an SRO provides.
As an older school, BGHS is large, spread out and has multiple access points, making physical security difficult. In an emergency, every second matters. Our SRO, Officer Anderson, is the only person on campus who can immediately radio dispatch, bypassing the 911 system that takes time to assess and transfer information. When outside law enforcement responds, they often arrive unfamiliar with the layout, wasting critical minutes. But our SRO knows every hallway and exit which means response is immediate and coordinated — not minutes too late.
According to a Secret Service analysis on school attacks, SROs responded within one minute, while outside law enforcement often took five to 10 minutes to arrive. Those extra minutes can mean the difference between a contained situation and a tragedy. Removing SROs increases response times when we can least afford to.
But an SRO does more than respond to threats — they prevent them. Officer Anderson is part of our school’s threat assessment team, working with staff to identify students who may need intervention. Because he is law enforcement, he can access information beyond what the school is able. If a student has been involved in concerning activity outside of school, he
ensures we are aware and can act before a crisis unfolds.
More than anything, an SRO builds trust. Our students know Officer Anderson. They talk to him, confide in him, and seek him out when something feels off. Studies show students are far more likely to report serious safety concerns to an SRO than to a teacher or administrator because they know they are there to protect, not punish.
If the levy fails, the SRO program goes away. And with it, we lose a direct line of communication to emergency responders, a key member of our threat assessment team, and a trusted adult students turn to in moments of crisis.
Schools without SROs don’t become safer; they become less prepared.
Student safety impacts the entire community. Schools shape the next generation of citizens, employees and leaders.
Removing SROs puts that safety at risk — not just for students, but for the broader community. A strong, secure school system benefits everyone.
I urge our community to consider what’s truly at stake. Levy funding isn’t just about middle school sports and staffing — it’s also about funding our critical SRO program.
Please vote yes.
Stephanie Etulain
Battle Ground
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