ROCKLAND — At least one Board member believed that the process was backwards. Shouldn’t the community decide who they want as RSU 13’s first School Resource Officer prior to a Board vote to allow such a position in the schools? As was mentioned multiple times during the May 1 School Board meeting, having the right officer – the right fit – makes all the difference.

How do we make sure that we don’t just get the person who’s willing to do it, but the person who is the best person possible for the job? Asked Jesse Davis.

By the end of the meeting, however, the Board voted (5-1 with 1 abstain) to allow a full-time SRO into the schools for a year, with an office at Oceanside High School, after RSU 13 was suddenly awarded grant funding. This preliminary year, with the school’s portion of the RSU 13 – Rockland PD partnership being funded 100 percent through the grant, will allow administrators time to assess the progress of the program and decide whether to continue in the years to come. If they do, the school’s portion of the second year will be covered 50% by the grant.

In response to Davis’ question, Rockland Police Chief Tim Carroll said: “You have to have a little bit of trust in me.”

Carroll has been pushing for an SRO position since 2022. He sees the need, and he also sees the long list of juveniles who could benefit from his RPD youth mentor program. With one of his officers in the schools full time, more of those students can be reached, and a much greater success rate achieved in terms of attendance, engagement, police interaction, and learning.

The Proposal, as read by Principal Jesse Bartke:

As a school, one group that we are really struggling with engaging in a meaningful way are students who once were involved in the juvenile justice system. This population represents a significant number of students who are categorized as chronically absent, and eventually drop out. By contrast, we see Rockland PD able to engage these students in meaningful ways on a weekly basis. They show up every Thursday night, participate in those things. They are reaching out to these folks for support, and that traction keeps seeming to gain and gain and gain. We believe that Rockland PD is doing a fantastic job, being able to engage these youth in a way that we have not been able to capitalize in the same way.

Our belief is that by partnering together, we are able to create a more cohesive unit, to engage these students who are struggling. They have challenges, and by using the collateral that they have in this and what they are able to provide, and bridging that into the school, we can get those students more engaged in school. We can get them showing up to school. We can get them access to their resources – mental health, physical health resources – we can help do vocational training for them. We know that when students show up to school, when they are handed a diploma, their outcomes after school are significantly better. They are going to make more money, they are going to be able to navigate those systems better, and they are going to receive better care for themselves and their family.

We also know that we have a number of students in our district that also know have family members that are involved, or unfortunately are witness to drug abuse, domestic violence, and a variety of other things within the home or within their own smaller communities. To be able to provide the supports. To be able to support those students feeling safer in school, and feel safer with the systems that are also inside will allow for us to change the perception of policing and the supports that are available to these students.

With only six days to bring an SRO proposal to the May 1 meeting, involving multiple meetings as well as weekend conversations and research, the SRO committee has yet to craft all of the details of the position. For instance, they haven’t decided how far away from Rockland’s Oceanside High School the SRO will travel to check on an absent child. Yet, even without a polished plan yet, Carroll, Principal Jesse Bartke, and the rest of the committee are looking to Belfast as their example.

At the May 1 meeting, Belfast Police Chief Bobby Cormier spoke of school districts and school administrators wrestling multiple challenges throughout the year with unruly parents, students, truancy, behavior, mental health, substance abuse, and more. The school staff provides their training and the PD incorporates other resources, training, and perspectives of the same juveniles, families, and community struggles.

Belfast’s SRO, Kevin Littlefield, has an automatic seat at the school table, and his voice is valued. Despite his full uniform, the students are happy to see him. They talk openly with him and often share personal details that they don’t share with anyone else.

Littlefield gets training in August when the staff gets training. In addition, he gets training in other areas such as drug education, and mental health first aid for juveniles. His resume triples as compared to the officer on the street. So, if there is a problem in the school, he has a greater level of training and expertise to be able to deal with that.

Cormier has worked in a previous place that didn’t have an SRO, and found it difficult to go in and help on the day shift – as it was for his officers – even though they were in that school all of the time.

In being a part of the school district day in and day out, going to all of the schools, Littlefield triages a lot of situations for the PD that patrol likely couldn’t deal with on a day-to-day basis.

Rockland PD has tallied 135 visits to OHS this year, according to Principal Bartke. However, those visits were for a variety of reasons, not just 911 calls. RPD has been there for teacher support or to attend classroom presentations.

“There are folks with some questions,” said Bartke. “There are folks with some worries and concerns. But, overall, the majority of folks that I’ve spoken to do support this in one way or another. That’s groups of students that I’ve spoken with, student government, principal advisory, small focus groups of kids, teachers with and without experience with resource officers, parents.”

One question came from Board member Brad Choyt: Does this grant have to be for an SRO or could it be used to hire a dedicated truancy specialist or someone who might focus on social work within the schools, or a resource specialist who could help families? 

(Littlefield later said that truancy in Maine is difficult to enforce.)

Assistant Superintendent Stefani Tribou said that the way the grant is written is that it’s a community partnership.

“But I also want to frame that the whole impetus of this grant started with Chief Carroll,” she said.

In November 2022, he pulled together a group conversation with Tribou, City Manager Tom Luttrell, Vallie Geiger, and several others. Geiger pointed to grant funding options that were available.

“Our hope is that we are just going to continue this relationship and continue ways that we can work with the community,” said Tribou. “And I think that this connection really helps to fit the bill.”

It’s also a concrete opportunity that is available right now, she said.

Choyt was not satisfied with that response, and abstained from voting when the time came later in the meeting.

“I don’t know if I can vote, not knowing what the options are,” he said.

Davis expressed concern that in other places, some students have had negative experiences with SROs, specifically around the matter of race.

“I want to make sure that what we are doing is improving the feeling of safety, or that actual safety of students in the school,” said Davis. “And not creating a situation where some students feel less safe.”

Littlefield said that he can’t think of any situation where a Belfast student has expressed feeling less safe by having Littlefield in the school. He said that his presence builds a bridge between him and patrol.

Said another Board member, “We have to repaint, or reframe, what that uniform means to people. And that will take some time.”

Davis voted in favor of the SRO position.

Carroll said that if he can’t find someone already with RPD to take the SRO role, he will search for someone whom he’d feel comfortable, and then start a hiring committee, which will also involve the superintendent and some representatives of RSU 13.

The National Association for School Resource Officers has trainings and certifications. The Maine Criminal Justice Academy has a School Resource program. Rockland PD is training local officers in programs about the teen brain, as well as training a de-escalation, implicit bias, and procedural justice.

“It’s not a simple promotion,” said Carroll. “It’s not just ‘the senior guy gets it.’ It’s got to be the right person. And I ask you to trust me that I make sure that it’s the right person for this program. Because I want it to be successful.”

Board member Rebecca Roveto thanked the committee, and especially the police officers for their time.

“This came up pretty quickly,” she said. “It wasn’t exactly how we had anticipated. I’ve had multiple conversations and interactions with people, and everybody is very engaged in this process. And although this has been a fast process, this has not been a thoughtless process. We’ve all put a lot of time and energy into this. I feel confident, because of your police department, because of you, and because of the things I’ve heard about you, and because of Officer Gaylor. Because everyone I’ve talked to says, ‘I wouldn’t do this, but I’d do it in Rockland. And I’d do it with this police department.’”

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com