School security personnel are increasingly commonplace in Virginia’s public schools. There are two types. School resource officers (SROs) are certified law enforcement officers who are typically employed by local law enforcement agencies and assigned to provide coverage to public schools. School security officers (SSOs) are individuals employed by school divisions to maintain order and discipline in their assigned schools. To date, little analysis of school policing in the Commonwealth exists. This report aims to change that.

Dr. Shawn Ashworth has served in Anne Arundel County for more than 15 years as a school counselor, assistant principal, and pupil personnel worker; as Special Assistant for Discipline, Principal of Arundel Middle School and J. Albert Adams Academy, and Senior Manager of Discipline & Disproportionality in the Office of Equity and Human Relations. Dr. Ashworth currently works in the Office of Safe and Orderly Schools as a program specialist for discipline.