Experts say Alabama better than most states when it comes to school security

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Many Alabama parents are worried about school security after the horrific school shooting in Texas.

The National Association of School Resource Officers is in Hoover and officials told WBRC that Alabama compares well to the rest of the country when it comes to school safety.

Executive Director Mo Canady said Alabama has hundreds of school resource officers around the state, although there are not enough for every school.

He said to make up for the SRO shortage, many districts will have one officer double up and cover multiple schools. He said that can delay response times if there is an incident and that every school needs one on campus all day.

Canady said Alabama has most schools require front office check ins and doors remaining locked at all times.

“I do think that Alabama is way ahead of a lot of other states in terms of overall safety measures and school resource officer populations,” Canady said. “Our state does a great job at looking at safety through environmental design strategies, but every school in this state could benefit from a specially selected and trained school resource officer.”

Canady said Alabama’s resource officer association also has a great relationship with the Alabama Department of Education, which he said helps the SRO’s have success.

Canady said it is helpful to also have teachers take basic SRO classes that they offer. He said when educators have basic trainings, it helps SRO’s do their jobs better.

Every school in Alabama is also required to have a safety plan by the state.

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