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GIRARD —
Many schools around the U.S. employ a School Resource Officer, and at Girard that position is filled by Sgt. Bryan Burks.
However, SRO Burks hasn’t always worked within a school system. In 1986 he began his career in law enforcement at the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and in 1995 he began working with the Girard Police Department.
To become certified as an SRO, he attended a 40-hour and five-day course in Missouri.
For the last six years, Burks has been the USD 248 SRO. This position requires several things of him.
First of all, every morning it is his job to patrol the RVH, GMS and GHS school grounds. Following this, he must go through his daily routine of filling out reports and attending different school events and functions.
In addition, each day SRO Burks meets with the GMS and GHS principals to see if anything needs to be done that is not already on the daily schedule. He also assists them with any tasks they may need him to complete, including administrative tasks and disciplinary actions.
However, his main function is to provide security for all district schools, which includes monitoring the door security and cameras. He also attends many school functions, including athletic events, prom and school dances, to provide security for students and attendees.
To perform these duties, SRO Burks arrives at 7:30 a.m. and leaves around 3:30 p.m. and during the nine-month school year puts in an average of 250 overtime hours.
Another thing he does is mentor an RVH student. Regarding his mentorship, he said, “I love going to RVH to read to the kids through the Mentor Program, and in general, I just love being around the students all day.”
No matter what, he said, “The safety of the students comes first above anything else. There is nothing I would want to change about my job except being able to deal with every situation that comes up between students because it is hard to be with every student who needs help.”
Outside of his job at USD 248, SRO Burks works part-time for the PSU Police Department, mainly working school events and covering shifts.
When not working he enjoys spending time with his family and riding his Harley.
Regarding the many roles he has, SRO Burks said, “After being born and raised in Girard, attending Girard schools, and raising a family here, I feel that it is an honor to work in the Girard school system because I’m able to help youth who may need extra guidance make the right decisions when the time comes.”
Many schools around the U.S. employ a School Resource Officer, and at Girard that position is filled by Sgt. Bryan Burks.
However, SRO Burks hasn’t always worked within a school system. In 1986 he began his career in law enforcement at the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, and in 1995 he began working with the Girard Police Department.
To become certified as an SRO, he attended a 40-hour and five-day course in Missouri.
For the last six years, Burks has been the USD 248 SRO. This position requires several things of him.
First of all, every morning it is his job to patrol the RVH, GMS and GHS school grounds. Following this, he must go through his daily routine of filling out reports and attending different school events and functions.
In addition, each day SRO Burks meets with the GMS and GHS principals to see if anything needs to be done that is not already on the daily schedule. He also assists them with any tasks they may need him to complete, including administrative tasks and disciplinary actions.
However, his main function is to provide security for all district schools, which includes monitoring the door security and cameras. He also attends many school functions, including athletic events, prom and school dances, to provide security for students and attendees.
To perform these duties, SRO Burks arrives at 7:30 a.m. and leaves around 3:30 p.m. and during the nine-month school year puts in an average of 250 overtime hours.
Another thing he does is mentor an RVH student. Regarding his mentorship, he said, “I love going to RVH to read to the kids through the Mentor Program, and in general, I just love being around the students all day.”
No matter what, he said, “The safety of the students comes first above anything else. There is nothing I would want to change about my job except being able to deal with every situation that comes up between students because it is hard to be with every student who needs help.”
Outside of his job at USD 248, SRO Burks works part-time for the PSU Police Department, mainly working school events and covering shifts.
When not working he enjoys spending time with his family and riding his Harley.
Regarding the many roles he has, SRO Burks said, “After being born and raised in Girard, attending Girard schools, and raising a family here, I feel that it is an honor to work in the Girard school system because I’m able to help youth who may need extra guidance make the right decisions when the time comes.”
