The Roanoker July/August 2023 - 82

" I've got three children of my own at
home, but I tell everybody I've got
over 400 kids. I mean that. "
hope in having SROs build relationships with students
is that they'll feel comfortable going to them with the
information. " We can bring to bear a number of resources
to be proactive and potentially preventative for a tragedy
happening in our schools, " he says.
Perkins echoes Hicks's feelings about the versatility
of SROs.
" They're part of the fabric of our schools, " he stresses.
" They're mentors. They're educators. They're role models.
They will go from pastor to social worker if they need to
depending on the situation. "
Matthew Kelly, an SRO at Highland Park Elementary
Dr. Brenda Russ, principal at
Round Hill Elementary School,
stands with an SRO.
School, is proof of that. A law enforcement officer since
2011, he's been an SRO since 2018. His desire to become
an SRO dates back to the late 1980s and early 1990s
-officer matthew kelly
when he was a student at Fallon Park Elementary School.
Bryan Lawrence was the SRO at the time. " He's legitimately
one of the first positive male influences I can
remember outside of my household, " he remembers.
Kelly approaches his job through the lens of " kids
don't care how much you know, they want to know how
much you care, " which he saw on a board when he went
through D.A.R.E training.
He demonstrates how much he cares by opening his
office during lunchtime to students who're observing
Ramadan. " We've got Disney movies going. You're fasting,
it's hard for you to be around other people eating.
Here's a safe place for you to come practice your religion
judgment free, " he says.
His efforts to show the students at Highland Park
that he cares don't end when the last bell of the day
rings. Even when he's at home at night with his family,
he immediately checks his laptop to see if one of his
students is impacted when he hears of a police matter in
Southwest Roanoke.
" I've got three children of my own at home, but I tell
everybody I've got over 400 kids. I mean that, " he says.
Many of the relationships he's built with students
last long after they've moved on to middle school. The
strength of those relationships is evidenced by the fact
that former students frequently come up to him at the
Kirk Family YMCA when he's working out and ask if
they can join him.
Roanoke Sheriff Antonio Hash, who himself was an
SRO for four years before being elected to his position,
says he won't stop until he has an officer at each school
because he doesn't want to be asked why he didn't do
something beforehand to prevent a tragedy. His office
supplies 13 SROs for the elementary schools, as well
as two support personnel.
He is quite strict in his selection of potential SROs.
Liking children and the ability to build relationships
are two of the top attributes he looks for.
" When you get up in the morning, you have to
put your cape on because you aren't just showing up
with a weapon ... you're showing up to be somebody's
big brother, somebody's father, somebody's mentor
or resource, " he says.
The job of an SRO, he adds, extends far beyond
the school building. When he was an SRO, he made
82 JULY/AUGUST 2023
TheRoanoker.com
COURTESY OF ROANOKE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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The Roanoker July/August 2023

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