StateImpact Special: Resources For Progress
Today concludes our series from the halls of the Gary Community School Corporation – a district many agree is in need of repair. Check out our previous stories introducing the city of Gary, GCSC Superintendent Cheryl Pruitt, and the evolving teaching staff.
We couldn’t leave Gary without meeting one of the biggest characters around: “Officer Friendly.” Along with the district’s 27 other security crew members, he is working to make students feel safer – and more in control of their own education.
- Meet Officer FriendlyFor the final installment in our StateImpact series from the Gary school district, we meet someone who represents the shift the city’s schools are trying to make.Download
Officer Nate Harris’ “resource office” at Gary’s West Side high school. (Photo Credit: Rachel Morello/StateImpact Indiana)
A sneak peek…
One of the biggest challenges in Gary is crime – and unfortunately, it’s a problem that has seeped into the schools. Gary has always had police officers patrolling the halls to help keep students in line – but now they’re trying a different approach.
The district’s new security system relies instead on “school resource officers” – policemen like Officer Nate Harris specifically trained to deal with students in the school setting. Harris says this new title reflects a bigger systemic change within the district: giving students the tools to make change in their own right.
That’s what the resource program is about – we’re now part of a process of their education.
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