Sheriff - School Resource Officer (SRO)

Salinecounty; Benton, Northern (AR, KY); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Saline County Sheriff’s Office is seeking a School Resource Officer (SRO) to serve within the school district. The SRO is responsible for safety, enforce laws, and engage with students and staff during school hours and events.

The role requires CLEST certification, 40-hour SRO training, and ongoing education in youth safety. Expect collaboration with administrators and potential after-hours events on campus.

Qualifications

• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and policies; respond to questions from groups and the public.
• Certification requirements include CLEST and school safety trainings.
• Must maintain youth mental health first aid certification and annual training requirements.

Responsibilities

• Shall be assigned to schools or attend school related functions.
• Provide traffic control for safety of students, staff, and public.
• Meet monthly with school administrators to discuss SRO needs and issues.
• Maintain visibility and regular interaction with students and staff on campus.
• Coordinate with district and sheriff leadership on security at events and programs.

Skills

Written communication

Report writing

Education

High School Diploma or GED

CLEST certification

SRO training (40 hours)

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Annual CE in school safety

Tools

PowerPoint

Word Processing

Job description

2026 Saline County

Sheriff School Resource Officer

Job Description

Exempt: No

Department: Saline County Sheriff

Reports To: Support Services Captain

Location: School District

Safety Sensitive: No

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF POSITION

This position is a certified law enforcement officer and shall be assigned duties at the School District by the Sheriff and will work in the schools or at school related functions when school is in session. As determined by the Sheriff or his designee, the SRO (School Resource Officer) will be available, in emergencies, for other duties within the Sheriff's Office, including regular department functions. The Support Services Captain shall be the supervisor for the SRO program. The SRO shall at all times remain under Saline County Sheriff's chain of command. This position is designated as a "safety sensitive position" as defined by Act 593 of 2017.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Shall be assigned to schools or attend school related functions.
2. The SRO will provide traffic control when deemed necessary by the Sheriff or his designee for the safety and protection of students, staff and the general public.
3. The SRO and school administrators will meet once a month or as necessary to discuss any issues pertaining to the SRO program.
4. The SRO shall be on duty at the schools throughout the school day, including fifteen (15) minutes before and fifteen (15) minutes after the hours during which school is in session each day and shall not be reassigned to non-school law enforcement duties except as determined by the Sheriff or his designee.
5. The SRO may be asked to provide security at AAA sanctioned or other extracurricular events that occur on the school campus.
6. The SRO shall coordinate with the school administration and Support Services Captain and be responsible for law enforcement and security activity at extra-curricular events as determined by the school administration and authorized by the Sheriff.
7. The SRO will maintain a high degree of visibility and student contact in the schools and when requested at extracurricular school functions. During periods when students are not in class, the SRO should be out on campus, interacting with students and establishing contacts that will enable them to be aware of issues or concerns that need to be addressed.
8. The SRO will be available to provide assistance in cases where violations of student discipline policies amount to violations of federal, state, or local law such as fighting, possession of weapons, drugs, threats of violence, including bomb threats or any situations that may result in charges being filed or arrests being made for illegal behavior.
9. The SRO will take law enforcement action as necessary and notify the principal of the school as soon as possible. Whenever practical, the SRO will advise the principal before requesting additional enforcement assistance on campus and undertake all additional law enforcement responsibilities at the principal's direction to the extent doing so will not interfere with law enforcement activities.
10. The SRO shall not transport students to and from school unless such transportation is incident to an arrest or other official law enforcement activity.
11. At the District's request, the SRO shall work with the district administrators and building principals to plan and offer instruction to staff and students on topics that promote safe school environment.
12. The SRO is expected to develop expertise in presenting various subjects, particularly in meeting federal and state mandates in drug abuse prevention education and shall provide these presentations at the request of the school personnel in accordance with the established curriculum.
13. The SRO should confer with the principal to develop plans and strategies to prevent and/or minimize dangerous situations on or near the campus or involving students at school-related activities.
14. The SRO shall comply with all County and Sheriff's Office policies with respect to attendance and reporting work on time.
15. To the extent practical, the SRO is to abide by the school board policies and shall consult with and coordinate activities through the principal. However, the SRO shall remain fully responsive to the chain of command of the Sheriff's Office in all matters relating to employment and supervision.
16. Perform any other related duties as required or assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty mentioned satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

High School Diploma or have passed the General Education Development (GED) testing indication high school graduation level. Home school diplomas will not substitute for the above unless approved by the Commission. Documentary evidence shall consist of official transcript, diplomas or GED test report form. In unusual circumstances the Commission may be required to accept other documentation and in such cases the decision of the Commission shall be final. Home schooling diplomas will not be accepted unless approved by the Commission. Four (4) years of previous experience in law enforcement is not required but preferred.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and policy/procedure manuals; ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

REQUIRED CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

CLEST certification prior to hiring

Forty (40) hours basic School Resource Officer training program developed and provided or approved by the Arkansas Center for School Safety.

• Complete a 16-hour School RO refresher training course every 5 years or as required by the department or school.

Certification in Youth Mental Health First Aid:

• Maintained and renewed every 4 years if the SRO remains assigned to a public school

Annually complete 12 hours of public school specific continuing education developed and provided or approved by the Arkansas Center for School Safety

Qualify with a score of 80% with all firearms he/she will be using or carrying.

Complete mandated yearly classes as specified by the Commission on Law Enforcement and Training.

Physical Readiness Testing: The Sheriff will authorize proper personnel to conduct physical readiness testing (PRT) of all deputies two (2) times in a calendar year. All Sworn deputies, including detention deputies must perform the following:

• Plank (no time requirements)
• Pushups (no number of time requirements)
• One (1) mile walk (no time requirements)

SOFTWARE SKILLS REQUIRED

Intermediate: Presentation/PowerPoint, Word Processing/Typing

USE OF MACHINES, EQUIPMENT AND/OR COMPUTERS

Regular use of highly complex machines and equipment; specialized or advanced software programs.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Outside or inside working environment, wherein there are potentially hazardous working conditions and life-threatening situations exist (fire, chemicals, electrical sources, heights, dangerous people, etc.) all the time per job duties and responsibilities.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

The following work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the functions of this job, the employee is frequently exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES

The following physical activities described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions and expectations.

Moderate diversity, moderately physical. Work activities which allow for a moderate amount of diversity in the performance of tasks which require somewhat diversified physical demands of the employee.

While performing the functions of this job, the employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision; distance vision; color vision; peripheral vision; depth perception; and ability to adjust focus.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Work hours may be extended in the event of an emergency, disaster, manpower shortage, workload or work-in-progress.

The Sheriff or his representative shall be responsible for selecting the officer(s) for participation in the SRO program. School administrators are encouraged to communicate on-campus duty assignments to the Sheriff or his designee, who will be responsible for assigning an officer or officers to specific campuses. The SRO shall at all times remain under the Saline County Sheriff's Office chain of command. This position is designated as a "safety sensitive position" as defined by Act 593 of 2017.

The duties listed above are intended only to show the various types of duties that will be performed. The omission of specific statement of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. All positions within the Sheriff’s Office are assigned by the Sheriff, Chief Deputy or the Support Services Captain and are subject to be changed when deemed in the best interest of the Sheriff’s office operation.

This job description does not constitute an employment agreement between Saline County and the employee and is subject to change by the employer if the needs of the department and requirements of the job change.

SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO)

• Starting at a rate of $52,108 annually (80 hours per 14‑day period) plus County recognized holidays off dependent upon the school calendar and workload for a new hire or an established employee certified by CLEST prior to employment with 4 years of Law Enforcement experience. If the SRO is required to work on a holiday, he/she will receive all hours worked at time and one‑half for the holiday. An established employee is an individual who has been full‑time Saline County employee for more than 90 days.
• This position will require some after school hours to attend events to provide security.
• As with all law enforcement positions, overtime is earned after physically working 85.5 hours during the 14‑day work period. All time up to 85.5 hours is paid at straight time and all hours over 85.5 are paid at time