Why replace school resource officers (SRO) with mental health professionals (mhp)? Why not train SRO's to be basic mhp?

[JEDI]

And anything beyond basic, schedule a traveling mhp to come to the school.

or

have both a sro and mhp? Just replace half of the sro's with mhp's and alternate.
ie: sro 3 days in school A (mon wed fri), 2 days in school B (tues thurs). mhp 2 days in school A (t th), 3 days in school B (m w f)

I like the 1st idea better.
the mhp doesnt sit around doing nothing.

 

[Fenixgoon]

The resource officers are sometimes full on police officers. They don't have the knowledge and training. After all, when all you have is hammer, everything looks like a nail

 

[ch33zw1z]

And anything beyond basic, schedule a traveling mhp to come to the school.

or

have both a sro and mhp? Just replace half of the sro's with mhp's and alternate.
ie: sro 3 days in school A (mon wed fri), 2 days in school B (tues thurs). mhp 2 days in school A (t th), 3 days in school B (m w f)

I like the 1st idea better.
the mhp doesnt sit around doing nothing.

I'm not sure you are involved with any school districts.

Many schools already have mental health professionals on staff AND school resource officers. They aren't the same thing, and we as a society expect different things from them.

Often they work together to identity and find solutions for problems, but it's not always.

 

[brycejones]

And anything beyond basic, schedule a traveling mhp to come to the school.

or

have both a sro and mhp? Just replace half of the sro's with mhp's and alternate.
ie: sro 3 days in school A (mon wed fri), 2 days in school B (tues thurs). mhp 2 days in school A (t th), 3 days in school B (m w f)

I like the 1st idea better.
the mhp doesnt sit around doing nothing.

Man I'm glad that mental health issues happen on a schedule in your world.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

The resource officers are sometimes full on police officers. They don't have the knowledge and training. After all, when all you have is hammer, everything looks like a nail

I'm not sure you are involved with any school districts.

Many schools already have mental health professionals on staff AND school resource officers. They aren't the same thing, and we as a society expect different things from them.

Often they work together to identity and find solutions for problems, but it's not always.

This. Law enforcement should never be expected to be a mental health resource. Because they aren't. I'm a sysadmin, I should never be expected to be an architect, because I'm not.

 

[brycejones]

This. Law enforcement should never be expected to be a mental health resource. Because they aren't. I'm a sysadmin, I should never be expected to be an architect, because I'm not.

100% this. @JEDI Serious question do you believe it only takes a few hours of training for someone to be qualified to deal with mental health issues/crisis?

 

[JEDI]

100% this. @JEDI Serious question do you believe it only takes a few hours of training for someone to be qualified to deal with mental health issues/crisis?

for basic stuff, i think:
1) take psych 1+2
2) then child psych

so 3 classes at a min.
3 semesters = 1 year (you cant take them at the same time since one is a prerequisite for another)

 

[JEDI]

Many schools already have mental health professionals on staff AND school resource officers. They aren't the same thing, and we as a society expect different things from them.

Often they work together to identity and find solutions for problems, but it's not always.

schools have both?
then why am i hearing in the news lately to remove the budget for sro's and replace them with mhp's?

 

[ch33zw1z]

schools have both?
then why am i hearing in the news lately to remove the budget for sro's and replace them with mhp's?

It may be local to you, or whatever news your watching.

For instance, my towns district has a school psychologist at least in elementary, and I'm fairly certain the same person does all the way thru 12, but I could be wrong.

The next town over contracts the service and last.time I spoke the someone from over that way it was a 3 day per week visit.

School districts are (not all I guess) trying to supply what they need on a budget. In some districts, theyay have to choose one or the other

I disagree the solution is to combine it. The SRO is the default "must have" IMO, as there will be students that will need a trained person restraining them at some point. Each state is different as to what's allowed with children in that regard.

A school psychologist does different things that an SRO, and needs a different personality to perform the duties we expect.

IMO, if you want someone with the profile of a SRO and mental health professional combined, you're basically going to be paying for two people anyways, which isn't necessarily a bad thing either.

 

[brycejones]

for basic stuff, i think:
1) take psych 1+2
2) then child psych

so 3 classes at a min.
3 semesters = 1 year (you cant take them at the same time since one is a prerequisite for another)

So someone is qualified to deal with mental health issues after 3 classes?

Fuck that. Also those are classes teaching theory. You still have many many hours of actual training in actually implementing thet theory.

 

[JEDI]

So someone is qualified to deal with mental health issues after 3 classes?

Fuck that. Also those are classes teaching theory. You still have many many hours of actual training in actually implementing thet theory.

as i said, for basic stuff.
for anything deeper, the sro should contact the mhp about the kid.
(this is for option 1 where there's a traveling mhp)

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

as i said, for basic stuff.
for anything deeper, the sro should contact the mhp about the kid.
(this is for option 1 where there's a traveling mhp)

Or, just don't have a traveling MHP. Every school should have one on staff.

 

[Stokely]

for basic stuff, i think:
1) take psych 1+2
2) then child psych

so 3 classes at a min.
3 semesters = 1 year (you cant take them at the same time since one is a prerequisite for another)

This sound like a person you want taking care of your kid if they have issues at school?

How about we go the other way. Train up some mental health professionals with some police vids, give them a few self-defense classes, maybe have them watch some MMA and boom, no need for police in schools.

Both are ludicrous ideas, but that seems less ludicrous.

 

[JEDI]

Or, just don't have a traveling MHP. Every school should have one on staff.

in a perfect world, sure.
but there are budget issues, as seen by calls lately for removing some sro's and replacing them with mhp

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

in a perfect world, sure.
but there are budget issues, as seen by calls lately for removing some sro's and replacing them with mhp

Yep, increase taxes to cover it. I'm fine with a tax hike to add an MHP to a local school if there isn't one. Everyone should be. Those regions where they won't, we'll see the results in the statistics, same way we do with COVID.

 

[woolfe9998]

The resource officers are sometimes full on police officers. They don't have the knowledge and training. After all, when all you have is hammer, everything looks like a nail

Well, I mean, except for when we really need them to use the hammer, like in Parkland, and the guy whizzed his pants instead.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

Well, I mean, except for when we really need them to use the hammer, like in Parkland, and the guy whizzed his pants instead.

Hmm, maybe we should accept that balanced humans aren't really mentally equipped to shoot at children with firearms, and instead tackle it from the other side?

 

[woolfe9998]

Hmm, maybe we should accept that balanced humans aren't really mentally equipped to shoot at children with firearms, and instead tackle it from the other side?

I don't think that guy even knew the shooter was a student. I don't think he ever saw the shooter. Only heard the shots. He wasn't unable to shoot people. He was afraid of being shot himself.