Kline, Wright build relationships with students, but safety is their priority.
Robert Kline said some students at Oglethorpe Elementary School call him Mr. Clean because of his "bald head," but Kline isn’t there to tidy the school.
“Our job is basically to make sure the kids are safe and secure,” Kline said. “That’s what our primary job is.”
Kline and Kevin Wright, Oglethorpe County’s first school resource officers, stepped into their roles in January. Kline covers the elementary and middle schools and Wright is the SRO at OCHS.
“They just started in January, but I think their presence has been well received,” Oglethorpe County School System director of operations Paul Thiel said.
Both officers have backgrounds in law enforcement, with Kline previously working at the Oglethorpe County Jail and Wright as a former night-shift officer with the Sheriff’s Office.
The Sheriff’s Office and the Board of Education worked together to interview several applicants. Kline and Wright were hired in November.
Both officers emphasize that their No. 1 priority is protecting the students; they aren't there to get students in trouble.
“I am here for safety,” Wright said. “I’m not here for punishments, just to make sure everyone’s perfectly fine and gets to go home every day.”
Both officers also highlighted the importance of getting to know students in regular settings, so they don’t seem intimidating.
“What I do in (Oglethorpe County Elementary School) is I’ll go during the lunchtime, and I’ll just talk to everybody at the tables and get to know them,” Kline said. “You're trying to comfort (students) and say ‘I’m here to help’ and that’s what we’re here for.
“We want them to come up to us if they have a question or if they have a concern. We just want them to know that we're here to help.”
Wright agreed on the importance of getting to know students.
“The kids here, they like me, I have students who have requested me to come to their classrooms in certain periods,” Wright said.
Both officers also attend Oglethorpe County Schools’ sporting events, which allows them to get to know parents, students and staff, while also ensuring safety.
“Deputy Wright and I both go to the games,” Kline said. “We get to know the players, we get to know the students that come out and socialize with them, and get to know them on a first-name basis.”
Kline said parents are reacting well and are excited about the new SRO role.
“Every parent I’ve talked to love (the SRO role), they love the idea that finally in this county we have SROs,” Kline said. “They feel more relieved that there's somebody else going and watching over their children.”