LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. — The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office is pushing for police officers in elementary schools across the county.
Sheriff Mike Chapman made the announcement on Wednesday saying there should be a discussion about expanding school security to their 62 elementary schools with the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors and School Board.
This echoes recommendations from the Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Blue Ribbon Panel released on April 26.
“It is time for Loudoun County to develop a multi-year plan and identify the necessary funding to ensure the presence of a School Resource Officer (SRO) in LCPS elementary schools, as we have for every middle and high school,” Chapman said. “The Blue-Ribbon Panel’s recommendations are a helpful starting point for these important discussions.”
Currently, there are SROs in all the county's middle and high schools. The officers' roles would differ based on the ages and needs of the students, but all would be alike in providing a full-time, on-site presence in the event of an active violent incident or other emergency.
At this time, the only police presence in Loudoun's elementary schools is through the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.
Chapman has been championing the idea of SROs in elementary schools since 2019.
“Some may suggest that Loudoun doesn’t need or cannot afford more SROs, but that is not true,” said Chapman. “We have the safest county in the D.C. metropolitan area because we are committed to best practices and continuous improvement for everyone. We are already doing more to keep our middle and high schools safe, and doing more for our elementary school students, teachers, and families is the next step."
However, Loudoun County Schools' leadership has not signed off on the idea of SROs, yet. In an email sent to WUSA9, a spokesperson for superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence said in part:
"...the recommendation from the panel was an increased security presence in elementary schools, not that it had to be SROs...LCPS is currently seeking community feedback on them to help inform a holistic discussion around safety and security with the school board and LCPS community."
A multi-year strategy could begin as early as the 2025-2026 school year, including an initial presence of SROs and School Security Officers in elementary schools.
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