The first round of school resource officers (SROs) to go through new state-certified training has wrapped up. 

The more than 20 SROs from all over the state met at St. Michael Albertville High School on Friday, where the focus was on the physical safety of the school — it was the tail end of a 40-hour learning session. 

Led by the Minnesota School Safety Center, for the first time, SRO training in the state is certified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards — also known as the Post Board. 

The training is now required after a state law change following months of debate over how SROs can physically handle students. 

“The goal [is] really being [able] to increase that level of trust that parents and staff and students know that they are getting [from] some highly trained officers that really understand what their role is in the school,” Jenny Boswell, SRO coordinator with the Minnesota School Safety Center, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

What they’re learning is specifically tailored toward working with students — from classroom time to touring schools, the new training covers many topics, including physical and technology safety measures, de-escalation, risk assessment and use-of-force.

“Yes, while you’re legally authorized to use force under these circumstances, here are some additional areas to think about; here are some additional resources that you have to really minimize that as much as possible,” Boswell said about the use-of-force training. 

Helping lead the discussion on Friday was Wright County Sheriff’s Office sergeant Austin Henre, who’s also an SRO. 

“We are constantly on our toes,” Henre said, adding, “I may be a mentor to somebody, the role model, or at the end of the day, if there’s a threat coming into the school, I’m responsible for that.”

He said the training has been “extremely beneficial” and is glad it’s able to bring perspectives together from all over the state. 

“It’s really given tools to school resource officers that they can implement next day and bring that back to make their communities even safer for the students,” Henre said. 

The School Safety Center says SROs have always had an opportunity to be part of training, but now it’s required, adding if an SRO hasn’t gone through training, they have to do so by September.