Gary reserve police officer Nate Harris is a big man on campus.
His physical presence is imposing, and his voice booms as he calls down a mostly vacant hall at West Side Leadership Academy, asking a student to produce a hall pass.
The exchange is friendly, and Harris takes a minute to chat before sending the student on her way. In the school office, Harris speaks softly to a student injured during “horseplay” in the gym. Later, he’ll talk to the girl’s mother and to Dean Michael Collins, who will decide what action, if any, to take.
Harris, the School Resource Officer at West Side, has completed state-required training to hold that title. He wears a uniform and carries a gun.
Safety, yes, but he also serves as a sounding board, counselor, role model and conflict resolver. Sometimes all in the same conversation.
It’s part of goals the U.S. Department of Education set encouraging police who patrol the hallways to be role models for students.
The School City of Hobart has one resource officer stationed at the high school and another in the middle school, police Chief Rick Zormier said. Officers Simon Gresser and Joe Clemmons have completed the required training. The police and school administrations have a six-page written agreement to guide those officers, he said. It includes the protocol for police intervention in various situations that require law enforcement action. More important, Zormier said, “The goal is a better relationship between the officers, students and the community.”
The 4,000 or so students in Hobart schools are, “The most valuable part of our community,” Zormier said. They should feel safe at school, and believe police are there to help them, he added.
The Gary Community School Corp. recently posted job openings for resource officers. To be eligible, candidates must have law enforcement training. All current school guards have been asked to reapply, prompting rumors that police will be replaced with civilians. The jobs were posted as the administration evaluates the system and prepares for extensive changes in the 2015-16 school year.
Resource officers such as Harris will be the lead officer in the school, aided by safety officers, Gary schools spokeswoman Marianne Fidishin said last week. At West Side, six safety officers work with Harris, roaming the halls when the bell rings, watching activities in the gym and lunch room, directing students and visitors to their destinations.
West Side Leadership Academy is an example of the success the changes can bring, school spokeswoman Charmella Greer said. “There is a significant decrease in the number of student altercations and suspensions.”
Principal Terrance Little said maintaining a safe environment and giving students guidance in basic life skills are as much a part of the education program as English and math.
“We are breaking bad habits,” he said after asking a student to see a hall pass with a lighthearted, “Show me the green!” Little reminded him to turn around (“About face!”) instead of just waving the pass while walking away. The principal didn’t lecture, but he did take time to talk for a bit with the student.
“I understand kids want to have fun,” he said. “I don’t want to stop that. But they need to learn consequences of their actions. I try not to tell them what to do, I try to explain the consequences of their choices.”
Little, who moved from EdisonLearning at Roosevelt High School last year to work at West Side, arrived as high school buildings were closing and student populations merged. “We get a lot of new students, it’s changing all the time,” he said.