SRO coming to Baird ISD: A win for school & city safety

BAIRD, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – During a recent Callahan County Commissioners meeting, members of the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office went to bat for Baird ISD about solidifying an SRO position for the school. An SRO, or School Resource Officer, serves as an on-campus law enforcement presence to aid in students’ safety; Baird ISD is the only school within Callahan County without one.

Because of this, Baird ISD and the City of Baird have collectively pooled roughly $80,000 worth of funding to help provide the salary and other necessary equipment required to hire a deputy from the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office to serve as their SRO. Baird ISD’s superintendent, Dr. Tim Little, said the process has hit some hurdles.

“So, we were originally working with our marshal’s office here in Baird, and we were almost there last year or towards summer before last year. Then Baird shut the marshal’s office down. We switched over, and we’ve been working with the sheriff’s department for the last year to make this happen,” Little explained.

Safety has been a priority for Little as the school has implemented several new and updated measures for school security under his leadership. Some of those measures include more security cameras, a full fence surrounding school property, and an electronic card swipe system for all doors located on campus. Little explained how having an SRO in Baird ISD would not only benefit the children’s safety, but also the safety of the citizens of Baird itself.

“One, it ensures that we have a sheriff deputy in the city of Baird at all times, because we don’t have marshals anymore. So that’s a nice plus to have them here. Because, like any SRO arrangement, if there were an emergency in the county, the SRO could leave our campus and go respond to that emergency in the county. They’re not just bound to our campus. That’s part of the agreement,” Little shared. “So that’s a plus for the city. Plus, just making sure that the kids are safe. This is just kind of a cherry on top of all the security features we’ve been doing.”

Chief Deputy Chad Campbell of the Callahan County Sheriff’s Office addressed the Callahan County Commissioners during their most recent meeting. He provided several examples illustrating how having one of their deputies serve as the School Resource Officer (SRO) for Baird Independent School District (ISD) would significantly enhance safety in the area. He emphasized that the mere presence of a patrol vehicle on school grounds sends a strong message to anyone considering causing harm.

“The benefit to our citizens and our students is what I’m looking at. That vehicle is going to be a deterrent sitting in front of the school, much like it does in Eula. Much like it does in Clyde. That lets potential bad guys know that, Hey, if I choose to go into this school with a gun and start shooting and taking lives, at least he knows I’m fixing to be encountered by a police officer,” Campbell said.

Ultimately, the Callahan County Commissioners voted in favor of a memorandum of understanding between the Sheriff’s Office, the City of Baird, and Baird ISD allowing for an SRO for Baird schools. Superintendent Little said that he hopes to see the new SRO in place for the schools in April of this year.