55% believe that they witnessed a positive change in the school since an AR role was assigned compared to 37% who were neutral on the question and 7% that disagreed or strongly disagreed.
49% believe SCU students felt comfortable confiding the SO problems that faced them again when I spoke recently uh compared to 50% who did not believe that the students felt comfortable when in their opinion that an SRO changed over the year regarding a police officer in the school 90% believed no other than 9% that believe yes then this brings to the next portion again thank you very much thank Good evening. My name is Marjorie Trish. I'm the principal at Creek Money High School. So, um during the summer, Miss Coglin, Dr. Coglin asked Lisa and I to um do a survey with our students, our parents, and our staff on um their ideals and their thoughts on having an SRO in the school. Um, so Lisa and I got together and we started researching some researchbased questions because it does no good if we just come up with questions off the cuff.
So we looked at um Education uh week survey research center. We looked at uh Education Magazine. They did a national survey. We looked at the National Association of School Resource Officers. Um we looked at questions from the research gate from Northeastern University. Um and with all of those uh particular researchbased um surveys, we extracted some questions. So we extracted some questions for the parents, questions for the students and questions for our teachers. Um for this parent survey, there was 25 questions. For the student survey, we had 37 questions. A lot of those dealt with the demographics, and that's why they had so many for the student uh questions. And the teachers had 15 questions. All communities were represented in all of the um surveys and our staff participated. Over 1,000 students participated. As you can see, um 68% stated that they were aware that we had an SRO, which which is good.
78 uh 78% of the respondents stated they believe that having one enhances the safety of the school and the security. You want to finish, Miss Miller? I'll take it from here. Can everyone hear me? 71% of the respondents stated that the SRO deterred violence and crimes uh and improved the environment of our school. 79% of the students and staff stated that they feel safer with the presence of SRO's when they're in the building. None of the external respondents knew the SR's name. So, we know that we have to that's something we really need to work on, right? Who are they? 82% of the respondents have never interacted with the SRO. Uh, which is good. I know that sounds, you know, it may sound negative on some level, but that's why we said a part of the program that you heard Patrick talk about was we want the SRO to get into the classrooms because they're mainly in the hallway when they're present and just walking around saying hello.
So if you don't happen to be in that hallway and you know the high school is pretty large then you won't ever interact with the SRO. So our reflections and recommendations and ensure that all of our stakeholders which includes the community are familiar with our SR's role and can identify our SRO at a game out in the public setting that they are aware that the SRO works with our school district. review and assist with updating the SRO's handbook created by the district safety team, which is we've had several meetings on that. And lastly, assist with creating programming that will make the SRO more visible to students and staff in our school.
Any questions before I go to the next one? All right. Thank you. I'm going to add a couple things to that and then we'll get into therapy dog. Uh it was interesting that Chief Paritz did his survey and then uh I want to thank uh Miss Trish and Miss Miller for their survey as well and how they they were very similar and they came up with a lot of the same information. So that really helped us kind of uh target some of the things that uh we were planning on doing. Um today I had an incident where uh at the elementary school where I saw a need for possibly utilizing some um SRO resources there. So um as this program continues to evolve, I hope to um maybe even use them in outside the high school as well, but I think we we got a little ways to go with that.
Um Dave is going to Mr. Hall is going to start and give the update on the therapy dog. No, go ahead. Good evening everybody. Uh thanks for uh having me come out today. Um real quick, I want the SRO program. Uh I've been here long enough where we had the SRO program uh and then the program went away. Um I'm glad to see it back uh in my role as a dean here. Uh I work with these guys very closely and it's just you'd be amazed about to see you know you they you saw a lot of uh qu um quantitative data but qualitative data tells me that I work with these guys and that uh there's a lot of things that we stop or we deter not just in our schools but our community because of what the SRO program does here. And that's why I think it's so important that it's just not about arresting kids.
It's it's bigger than that. It's building a gap. Uh, you know, the the the way the students interact with the officers to me is is uh is really amazing and and kind of building that relationship and not that the badge means something bad. And uh and so I just wanted to say that though my working with them is is I don't want this program to go away obviously because and and the safety of it, you know, I do a lot of district safety and security stuff and having them in in the building is is uh it's almost kind of a a reassuring presence to have them here. Um so I I appreciate this program and I kind of don't want to see it go away. So, I I that's why I want to um uh wanted to tell you guys that because I work with these guys in a daily, you know.
Um so, so we'll get to the therapy dog. That's that's my little uh quip there. But, um so I we got in front in July, we we came in front of you guys and we said that the board of education and we said that we're going to have these dogs in these schools and and we wanted to update you and let you know uh how things are going. Hey, behave. uh how things are going and uh um the success of the program now you know and you know Pat and I and thanks Miss Trish and Miss Miller you know for uh allowing the dogs to come in. Um it's really we put a lot of work into it beginning we did the handbooks and you know we went all why we have them. Um a lot I'm going to tell you though a lot of schools are jealous that we have them.
Uh I I I have a lot of friends in education who are like well what what's this program? what are we doing? And then like um uh the special ed students were just playing um basketball and the homewood philosopher people were like why you guys got dogs. We want dogs like they say. So uh thank you Dr. Kagise too for pushing this program and and your the board support. So um so again the uh hour Biscuit uh Biscuit works uh three days a week. He's got the easy schedule Tuesday through Thursday uh from 6:00 to uh 6:00 to um 6:00 to 3:30. Uh you might be asking where he stays. Um he, you know, I have a I have a crate in my office. Uh if students don't want to be around him or they don't like dogs and I have to meet with a student, uh he has other people that will dogs uh that are that they'll handle them.
Uh or I put them in the crate. Um so, but he's he's there. Lucy. Uh again, she's assigned throughout the district and works in different buildings and goes in different places as needed. Um every morning, uh the dogs are out at the high school and and you know, we're lucy at your early childhood center, uh meeting meeting staff and students, and I always get, "Oh, look at there's biscuit. There's biscuit." And then, "Hi, Mr. R." Like, you know, so I know where I rate and uh he's very popular at the high school. So, uh, and kids just just like coming, you know, we'll just sit on a bench every morning. Uh, you know, because sometimes it's harder for students to get down and pet them and they just come by and they just, you know, they love to say just a couple minutes just give them a little pet and it makes them, oh, thank you.
You know, so there's uh that's amazing. Um, again, and then they're in in and out in the hallways. They're not Biscuit's not every pass he's not out every passing period. He's kind of a diva and likes to take naps. Uh so he uh he's not out but we do we get out as much as we can and and students appreciate it. Now um I've kept quantit um uh qualitative data on um on biscuit this year and the interactions with students. So every time uh student wants to meet with him or as uh for they'll ask uh I don't know if you guys are aware but some 504s and some IEPs do have uh the meeting with a therapy dog. So, uh, so he's there three days a week. Uh, he's had over, now it's over 30. When I wrote this, it was over 30. In fact, today there was another interaction with a student.
Um, and those interactions are fif to 15 minutes. uh where students with anx and that's why I said we we've had students with anxiety um peer conflicts aggression uh you know um and you know I had a student came in oh I got this procedure I got tomorrow but can I come meet with biscuit because I'm really anxious and worried about my I have my teeth pulled how many people just every day well yeah that's why I said no I mean that's why well I think I told like 30 minutes 10 minutes or more. But every day, every morning, like Leia, there's students, like I said, that we sit on the bench and they come in and give the pet every morning. And staff, I mean, staff, um, they I don't know, the staff just love, you know, hug them and kiss him and whatever you got and they they like the visits and they come, you know, seek them out.
Uh, students the same way like with anxiety and those kinds of things. So, um, we've also been out in the community. We've done things. We've gone to local law enfor uh Pat and I have gone to local law enforcement uh fire departments. Um so we've we've also been out and about uh with our our community with the dogs. So um we this this is a building program, right? We kind of developed it from scratch. Uh Pat and I and um some other people. Um if you ask me right now, it's a a success. It's a success. Um, it's been very positive. Uh, I've had a lot of I've only had one parent who was concerned in the beginning of the year. Uh, well, your dog's going to bite my child. And I said, well, that was that. So, that's what they emailed and I called her.
I explained these dogs are highly trained. We're with them. We're these dogs are not just like roaming around and they're not like your own family dog, right? And after I explained that, she's like, "Oh, where's the paperwork? I forgot my sign so I can that we interact with them. So that was the only negative comment I had. Just lots and lots of positive comments. Also with parents, I mean I've multiple times I've had meetings that were stressful for parents obviously sometimes that when they're meeting with me um and they always appre, you know, I oh would you like to meet our therapy dog? And they're very thankful. I remember one parent uh that we we had quite a few issues with and that biscuit sat on her lap and she was crying and she was just like fell asleep in her lap like he knew that like he needed that.
So I think it's a success. I think we still have you know we're we're not we're you know continue to grow in this program. Uh I think the district and I appreciate the district doing this and the school board kind of supporting us. Thank you. Thank you. Um, any more questions about the dog? I've had a lot of the same experiences Dave has had just throughout the district. Uh, my feelings have been hurt as well. More people know the dog's name than mine. Um, don't talk about, right? Yeah. Nobody can say my last name, right? But, um, very successful. I had a couple, uh, how what I characterize as extremely challenging parents that were very aggressive and angry, and for some reason the dog calmed them down. I don't know why. Uh part of it, some of it is is magic. It's it's happened a couple good times.
I've had a lot of different uh situations with uh students 504. A lot of staff members I've had a lot of staff members come up and you know tears in their eyes for whatever they had going on and they really didn't want to talk to me. They just wanted to hug the dog and they did and they went about their day. So um I I also believe that this is a su very successful program. I believe it's going to continue to evolve and hopefully be beneficial throughout the district. I have one question for our SRO's curious. Do you find something very challenging? Are you finding one thing that's challenging you more than anything else or are we how is that working for you in your every day? Is there a certain challenge that you're trying to overcome or are you just taking it as it comes?
Actually the challenge is trying to get this climate because you know that this this climate have changed us you know throughout the world especially our perception. So as I alluded and as I told the students when we uh greeted them we're not here to arrest we are here for a resource and we're here for a resource for everyone not just the students but staff.
So for any questions, anything that's personal, myself, Al Taylor, Sergeant Grozik, we all family men and we are fathers. So we look at this as one big family. It's not a challenge. We embrace this. This is our heart. This is our bread and butter and we're going to do the best that we can. That was awesome. I would just like to say thank you to all of all of you Police Department. I know how hard we work to get this organized and how every day. I mean, I have a lot of interaction with Patrick at the beginning. I was trying to help them with the handbook, type it up and stuff like that to keep them going. And, uh, Lucy thinks she lives at my house part-time. But, um, I just want to say thank you. I know you guys are putting every effort in this.
You're working with our students. I've gotten lots of kids who've come to me and said, "I just love that I can go and talk to them or I or the dogs." So, I know that it's working just because people are talking about it. They may not know your names, but they're talking about the SRO's, what's going on at the school, and the dogs. So, from me to you, thank you very much. Um, Lisa and Miss Trish, thank you for being so supportive. And I'm assuming that you do some of the dog sitting sometime, but um maybe that's not right. Uh, but thank you for letting this program start at the high school and and continue to help it grow. appreciate it very much. Yeah, I I thank you as well. And I I I see opportunities he even at the middle school level in some capacity.