5 Common Mistakes SROs Make in School Partnerships—and How to Avoid Them
By John Huber
Serving as a School Resource Officer is one of the most unique and rewarding assignments in all of law enforcement; however, it’s also one of the most challenging and misunderstood. The challenges usually come from the incredible amount of patience required when working with children. The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) certainly provides some overall direction, but there is still no blueprint for how to put it into practice and be a great SRO. Unfortunately, many traditionally trained officers enter the role without the guidance or clarity they need to succeed in a school setting.
Over the years, I’ve worked with countless schools and law enforcement officers and agencies to help strengthen partnerships, and I’ve seen the same mistakes made time and again. Most of them were preventable. These aren’t just small missteps; they are actions or inactions that can permanently damage trust, isolate the SRO, and ultimately weaken—or push schools away from—the partnership. In some cases, these mistakes can create unsafe situations and set off a chain of unfortunate events that end in a viral incident or even the unthinkable. When the unknowing public sees a viral social media incident involving an SRO, they usually immediately blame the officer. However, when one looks deeper, one might realize that there’s more going on than what they witnessed in the video.
This article isn’t about calling anyone out. It’s about calling attention to what matters—because when an SRO fails in these areas, it doesn’t just reflect on them personally; it affects how the entire law enforcement profession is perceived in schools. Here are the most common mistakes I have personally witnessed SROs make:
1. Doing Whatever Administrators Ask—Even When They Know They Shouldn’t
This is probably the most common and dangerous trap an SRO can fall into. Out of a desire to be helpful or to solve what might appear to be a simple situation, SROs often say yes to requests that fall outside of their professional role. These usually include requests to “escort” a student to the office or another destination for being disruptive, sit in on a discipline meeting where no law was broken, mediate a classroom argument, investigate or mediate rumors of a fight, and more.
No matter how many times we hear from SROs and schools that the officer does not get involved in discipline, they still do.
The problem isn’t in trying to help—it’s in stepping over the line. When an SRO says yes to everything, it blurs boundaries. The SRO then starts functioning as a school disciplinarian instead of a law enforcement officer. This also puts the officer, the department, the school, and the school system at legal risk. It also makes it harder for the next SRO who follows the rules. Know your role. Respect the fence. Be a resource, not a rescue plan.
2. Not Knowing—or Ignoring—the MOU
If you’re an SRO and haven’t read your school’s Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), go fix that today. The MOU is not just a formality—it’s the document that defines your responsibilities, limits your authority, and protects your partnership with the school. It defines the very nature of the partnership and why it is necessary.
Most MOUs contain language that specifically states the SRO is not to intervene in the school disciplinary process. A quick search of YouTube will provide an extensive list of viral incidents that started with SROs getting involved in school matters—usually at the request of the school.
Too many officers think, “I know what I’m doing,” and never actually read what’s been agreed to between the school and the department. Worse yet, some know the MOU and ignore it anyway because they’ve built personal relationships that let them bend the rules.
Using relationships to assist in matters that might otherwise be school issues may work in the short term—until something goes wrong. Then it all falls apart. The MOU isn’t just paperwork. It’s your roadmap and your shield. Know it. Follow it.
Only SROs at the highest levels of the school-police partnership can temporarily step “over the fence.” When they do, they must know they’re doing so—and be prepared to retreat back immediately if needed.
3. Faculty Lounge Gossip and Unprofessional Chatter
This one gets overlooked, but it’s a major mistake. When SROs spend time venting or joking about students, administrators, or the school system in the teacher’s lounge, they’re digging a hole they might never climb out of. It makes the officer look unprofessional—and sometimes downright childish.
The SRO is a guest in that school—and a respected one at that. The second he or she lets frustration turn into gossip, sarcasm, or negativity, the officer loses credibility. And once a school staff sees the SRO as “just like us” in the wrong ways, it’s hard to reclaim that authority.
If the SRO wants to be taken seriously, especially in moments of crisis, they should act like and always be a professional. That doesn’t mean being stiff or cold—it means respecting the job and the people involved enough to lead by example. A good rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t say it in front of the principal, don’t say it at all.
4. Trying Too Hard—or Not Trying at All
Some SROs come in trying so hard to be liked that they end up looking more like students than law enforcement. Others go to the opposite extreme—stone-faced, arms crossed, treating the school like a post instead of a community. Neither works.
The truth is that students can spot fake from a mile away. They don’t want a cop who acts like a buddy, and they don’t want one who acts like a robot. They want someone real. SROs don’t need to be the funniest person in the room, and they don’t need to memorize TikTok trends. They just need to be human.
Just like teachers, when developing relationships with students, they just need to be themselves. Approachable, consistent, honest, fair. That’s the gold standard.
5. Hiding in the Office
Here’s a blunt truth: if the SRO spends most of the day behind a desk, something is wrong. The office is where paperwork lives—not relationships.
Visibility is everything in an SRO role. When students see SROs walking the halls, greeting staff, visiting classrooms (even uninvited), or chatting with students in the cafeteria, they become part of the culture. That’s how trust is built. That’s how intel is gathered. That’s how the next incident is prevented before it happens.
The less they see of the SRO, the more the officer becomes an outsider. Don’t wait for a call. Be proactive. Show up.
If you’re an SRO reading this, understand something: you’re not just “in a school.” You are part of a sacred space that deserves your very best.
You are law enforcement. You are a mentor. You are a protector. And whatever the partnership is like at your school, everything you do adds up. Every hallway walk, every respectful interaction, every moment you choose to listen instead of react—it all builds the relationship.
The mistakes above aren’t career-enders, but they are credibility killers. Avoid them, and you’ll be the kind of SRO every school hopes for—and every student deserves.