If you ask A.D. Henderson University School fourth grader Max Cava to grade his school resource officers, it’s clear they’re doing pretty well.
”If I had to pick a number out of 10, I’d give them a 10,” says Cava.
Ask Henderson school resource officer James Banner about his job, and you will quickly learn why he is getting such good grades at school.
“To be a school resource officer is pretty much both of my passions rolled into one: My passion for law enforcement and my passion to mentor young men and young children. It brings me such joy to see smiles on kids’ faces and just to be amongst positive energy with children. They usually feed off of our energy and if we are positive, then they are positive and it’s a good thing for everyone,” says Banner.
From supportive moments to emergency ones, school resource officers like Banner and his fellow Florida Atlantic University Police Department officers all work together to educate, mentor and protect.
“Safety and security is the number one priority before anything else. If you don’t have a safe and secure environment, teaching can’t happen and learning can’t happen so it’s really critical that safety and security is the number one priority at our school,” says ADHUS and FAU High Principal, Sherry Bees.
“Having an officer there from the moment I get to school, as well as any other employee, until the second the last person leaves is priceless,” adds Bees.
A few weeks before National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, Bees came up with a fun way to show her appreciation for her school resource officers: She and her FAU Owls called on the nearby Florida Panthers for assistance.
Bees and her team treated their officers to a Florida Panthers game day in December complete with suite tickets and a shout-out on the Jumbotron in their honor.
“I am so appreciative for the resource officers, for the FAU Police Department and all the officers out there,” she says. “Thank you for keeping us safe, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
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