The Kenton County Fiscal Court has taken a proactive stance in addressing children’s safety and mental health, from hiring dedicated resource officers to be in our schools to deploying funds to ensure the well-being of our youngest citizens.

Enhancing school safety with dedicated resource officers

The Kenton County Police Department employs four dedicated school resource officers (SROs) who serve in the unincorporated areas of the county, forming part of a wider team that covers all 17 schools in the Kenton County School District. The officers include: 

• Officer Chad Irwin, Twenhofel Middle School
• Officer Steve Benner, White’s Tower Elementary School
• Officer Darrin Gilvin, Piner Elementary School
• Officer Bill Conrad, Ryland Heights Elementary School

These officers, who collectively bring more than 80 years of experience in law enforcement, play a crucial role in protecting students and staff, inside and outside the walls of their schools. 

SROs are tasked with the vital responsibility of monitoring potential threats and ensuring schools conform to the safety codes mandated by the state school security marshal. These codes, introduced by the School Safety and Resiliency Act, include measures such as maintaining locked classroom doors during instructional time and installing window covers that can be quickly deployed in case of a lockdown. 

Beyond safety enforcement, SROs are an integral part of the school community 

The SROs' presence on campus provides a comforting layer of safety both students and teachers value greatly. “If we're not there, they notice. When your car’s not out front, students will start asking where you are,” Irwin said.

And the SROs love what they do. “It’s the best hidden secret in police work,” Gilvin said.

While an SRO’s job has unique rewards, it also comes with its own set of challenges, such as the mental shift required for officers as they transition from “chasing bad guys” to assisting our schoolchildren. “Most cops come out of the academy and that’s what they want to do, but that’s not what we do,” Conrad said. 

SROs, instead, are protectors, mentors and safety resources for the school.

Investing in mental health initiatives 

Each year, Kenton County earmarks a substantial investment from the county occupational license tax (COLT) fund to bolster a variety of programs aimed at the holistic well-being of youth and their families. These programs range from counseling and education to courtroom advocacy, demonstrating a diverse approach to children’s mental health. 

In addition to the annual COLT funding, the Fiscal Court also recently contributed one-time resources from multiple sources to support infrastructure improvements at Holly Hill Child & Family Solutions, DCCH Center for Children and Families and Children’s Home of Northern Kentucky to assure the long-term sustainability of these pillars of children’s services. These three organizations provide a broad combination of residential and outpatient treatment solutions for adolescents.

This article originally appeared in the January 2024 edition of What's Happening! Kenton County, KY. To see the full edition, click here.