Kentucky School Advocate
June 2023

The Kentucky Center for School Safety (KCSS) and the Kentucky Association of School Resource Officers (KYASRO) has recognized three districts as having promising school resource officer (SRO) programs.

The groups asked school districts to submit details about their SRO programs and the organizations then judged the submissions based on how the district and local community collaborate with SROs to promote safe and secure learning environments.

“SROs are part of the fiber of a school community. They serve as mentors, teachers and protectors of our students,” said Jon Akers, KCSS executive director.

KCSS and KYASRO designated three districts, which will each receive $1,000 as part of the designation.

• Anderson County Schools: The district has had at least one SRO for the past 20 years. The current program was developed as a partnership between the Anderson County Board of Education and the Anderson County Sheriff’s Office in 2017. Anderson County currently has seven SROs. (Photo top right of Anderson County receiving the award.)

• Hardin County Schools: The district began building its program with SROs in 2016, even though the district has had a collaborative working relationship with local law enforcement agencies since the early 2000s. The Hardin County Sheriff's Department and the Elizabethtown Police Department both work with Hardin County Schools through memorandums of understanding to provide SROs and the district collaborates with the Radcliff Police Department to provide services at one high school. (Photo middle right of Hardin County receiving the award.)

• McCracken County Schools: The McCracken County Public Schools Police Department (MCPSPD) was established in 1998 in the wake of the 1997 Heath High School shooting. In the formative years there were only a handful of SROs employed by the board of education. Officers were stationed at each of the county’s three high schools. In 2022, the McCracken County Board of Education formed MCPSPD as a school-based law enforcement agency under House Bill 63. The force will grow from eight officers to 14 in the coming years. (Photo bottom right of McCracken County receiving the award.)Each district will receive $1,000 as part of the designation.

Bradley appointed to KCSS board
Former Woodford County board chair Dani Bradley has been appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear to the Kentucky Center for School Safety board of directors.

Bradley replaces Jessamine County board member Denise Bailey Adams, whose term has expired, as the representative for the Kentucky School Boards Association. Bradley will serve until May 2027.

As chair of the Woodford board, Bradley organized the first joint session of fiscal court, both city councils and the board of education. The September 2022 meeting gave elected officials and the public the opportunity to discuss school safety with school district staff and law enforcement officials.“I am honored to work with KCSS to make sure our state does all it can to protect students and staff,” Bradley said.

The 15-member KCSS board is made up of representatives from the Kentucky Department of Education, KSBA, Kentucky Association of School Administrators, Kentucky Association of School Resources Officers, Kentucky State School Security Marshal and other education and law enforcement organizations.

Bradley leads project development for Trace Creek Construction.