ROCKLAND — RSU 13’s first School Resource Officer has been selected and will begin the new role when school staff return for the 2024-2025 school year.

Rockland Police Officer John Bagley will be the first in the position, though he is already a familiar face inside the halls of the high school through a youth mentorship program.

Rockland PD posted to Facebook the announcement of Bagley’s new role on July 1, 2024. In the school realm, July 1 marks the official administrative beginning to the 2024-2025 school year.

Because the SRO has dual roles as school staff member and municipal police officer, the boards representing both entities needed to approve the measure.

On May 1, 2024, the School Board approved grant funds and the role for which the grant was written. In June, the City of Rockland approved the same position after Councilor Nate Davis requested a revision of language to one minor bullet point.

Bagley has been with the Rockland PD since November 2000. He has been a training officer and a certified Academy Instructor, and is a part of the Rockland Bike Patrol Unit. He has been trained as Crisis Negotiator through the F.B.I. Crisis Negotiation School and keeps current in that field as well as mental health crisis, according to Rockland PD.

For more information regarding the SRO role, click the following: Questions linger as RSU 13 approves year of grant-funded School Resource Officer

For more information regarding a unique opportunity for high school students, click the following: Oceanside partnerships offer a taste of future jobs by meeting students where they are

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com