North Vermillion continues to focus on school safety with second SRO

Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 9:52 PM

By Paul Gable

With an ever ready focus on safety of faculty and staff, as well as students, the North Vermillion Community Schools Corporation added a second school resource officer earlier this year.

The decision is paying off nicely, according to Superintendent Brian Byrum, who told GIANT fm News and The Parke County Post it is "vital" to have school resource officers in schools today.

"First of all, they are not disciplinarians. That is still the job of teachers and administrators of the school. The SRO role serves the purpose of providing quick response in the event of a threat or illegal activity and to also provide preventive measures to keep our students and staff safe," Byrum said.

The Vermillion County Sheriff's Department also rotates officers throughout the district, ensuring the district remains safe.

"Safety is of utmost importance in providing an educational environment that is conducive for students to learn and staff to work. We want our students and staff to always feel safe at school," Byrum said.

Byrum said the school resource officer also provides assistance to the district with compliance with state and local safety measures that schools must follow.

"Having our own SRO means that they are a part of the staff and a part of the culture. They get to know the students, know the staff, and learn our systems becoming a part of the educational community. They provide education and resources to our students and staff and help create a safe avenue for communication and reporting when the need arises. With the addition of a second SRO, we now have a trained officer in each building instead of one on rotation. We are lucky in that our buildings are all on one campus. But in the event of a crisis, every second counts and we feel it is an investment and resource that we make a priority for our corporation," Byrum said.