Skip To Main Content

SROs & SSOs

School Safety Program Grant

Great news!

We are excited to share that the School Safety Program Grant, which previously provided School Safety Officers (SSOs) for Yavapai and Anasazi Elementary schools, has been expanded by the Arizona Department of Education.  

The district applied for and has been awarded funds to provide all Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) elementary and K-8 schools with an SSO! To clarify, the SSO model is different from the School Resource Officer (SRO) model.

SSOs are not full-time staff assigned to campuses. Rather, the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) contracts with a third party to place off-duty officers on school campuses.

While the officer on duty may vary from day to day and may not always be from the same agency, each officer assigned as an SSO to an SUSD school will have completed all required training for this role.  SSOs will be on our campuses when they choose to pick up a shift, not full-time.

On Tuesday, January 7, the SUSD Governing Board approved the use of the ADE grant to fund these positions through the 2025-2026 school year. ADE will now begin setting up the necessary services, and we anticipate that officers will start choosing shifts at your school within the next month.

Ensuring the safety and well-being of our students and staff is always an SUSD top priority. We are grateful for this opportunity to enhance our school safety efforts through the state’s expanded grant program.

School Safety Officer - Position Description & Requirements (ADE)

SROs vs. SSOs

In Arizona, a School Resource Officer (SRO) is a full-time law enforcement officer, while a School Safety Officer (SSO) is an off-duty police officer who works in schools.SSOs are used in schools that don't have an SRO. 

Duties:

  • SROs
    • Full-time law enforcement officers who are assigned to a specific school. They have the same training as other law enforcement officers, and are typically armed with a firearm. 
  • SSOs
    • Off-duty police officers who perform the same duties as SROs, but are not assigned to a specific school. They are similar to substitute teachers and are not permanent. 

Funding:

  • SROs
    • The Arizona Department of Education's School Safety Program supports the costs of SROs. 
  • SSOs
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The state's School Safety Grant funds SSOs.