Springfield School Police receive $3,625 donation to support building relationships from COUNTRY Financial
Springfield Public Schools employs 26 state-licensed school police officers. Each day, they support the safety and security of more than 50 schools and their 25,000 students.
And thanks to a grant from COUNTRY Financial, School Police has new resources to build relationships with the students they serve.
“We support our officers building relationships with our students because it is one step in making our community successful,” said Jim Farrell, director of school police. “If we can form the relationships with students, we will be able to provide a positive image of police officers to our students. Unfortunately for some, their experience with police officers has not been positive. We want our students to have the relationship with school police officers where they feel safe and know that we are here to help.”
Each Springfield School Police Department officer is a state certified peace officer and commissioned through the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, while also trained as School Resource Officers. The nationwide program encourages positive, daily connections with police and students and staff in schools. All Springfield School Police officers are supported and employed by Springfield Public Schools, which independently funds the Department.
The $3,625 donation to Springfield School Police, presented by COUNTRY Financial Representative J.J. Romines, was made possible by a 2020 COUNTRY Financial Operation Helping Heroes grant. In collaboration with the Foundation for Springfield Public Schools, the funds will support opportunities for officers to build relationships with students.
“It’s more important now to support your local community, and we want to thank the Springfield School Police for their service,” said Romines.