Every morning, a kindergartner greeted Officer Ron Self with a hug around his leg and the words, “Good morning, Officer Self.” Ron was a street officer newly assigned to an elementary school as a school resource officer (SRO). He had not sought out the assignment, and at first, he kept his distance. The student kept showing up.
In Episode 9 of The Safety Signal, Ron Self, CENTEGIX’s Regional Director of Strategic Initiatives and former Director of Safety and Security for Little Rock School District, tells CENTEGIX CMO Robb Monkman how that relationship changed the way he saw the children he was there to protect. It also helps explain the school safety decisions he later made as a district leader: listen to the people inside schools, give staff a practical way to get help, and prepare for the incidents they encounter every day.
Ron’s story adds a personal dimension to a school safety plan for everyday crises. A plan has to work for the student looking for a trusted adult and for the employee who needs help right now.
What Changed Ron Self’s Approach to School Safety?
Ron joined the Jonesboro, Arkansas, police department wanting to work the streets. When he was reassigned to the SRO division, much of his day at the elementary school involved traffic duty. Then the same little girl began greeting him each morning. As he remembers it, “she starts breaking down my wall.” He began greeting her back and getting to know more of the students.
A few months later, the girl developed brain cancer. By then, Ron had become close to her family. When his sergeant offered him the chance to leave the SRO assignment, Ron declined: “There’s no way I’m leaving this.” He wanted to remain with the students and the family he had come to know.
The girl survived and, Ron says, later earned a doctorate in physical therapy. Years afterward, she and her mother told him how much his presence had meant during her illness. Ron felt the influence went both ways. Their relationship helped him decide to devote his work to helping children get home safely.
The story illustrates why relationships belong in conversations about school district safety. The CDC describes school connectedness in terms of students believing that adults and peers care about them and their learning. The Institute of Education Sciences offers practical guidance on how educators can build those relationships. Ron’s experience shows what one sustained connection meant to him; it should not be treated as proof that every student has the same experience.
How Did That Commitment Shape His School Safety Decisions?
Ron went on to lead safety and security for school districts, including Little Rock School District. In the episode, he recalls trying to introduce an app-based alert tool at two districts. At Little Rock, he and a colleague visited staff meetings across 45 campuses to reintroduce and retrain employees on the system. Even after that effort, he says staff continued calling 911 instead of opening the app when they needed help.
“There’s got to be a better way,” Ron recalls thinking. He even asked an app company whether it could put a game in the app so staff might open it often enough to become familiar with it. His point was serious: a safety solution has to fit what staff will actually do, especially under pressure.
When his superintendent suggested a wearable badge, Ron was skeptical. What persuaded him was the possibility of using it to get help with everyday incidents, as well as a campus-wide emergency. “[If] the only thing that CENTEGIX did was lock down schools, me and you [Robb] probably never [would] be talking.” His priority was a tool employees could reach for when they needed support in their ordinary workday.
That experience makes the distinction between purchasing school safety technology and making it usable. The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s work on public safety technology examines adoption and use alongside technical capability. For schools considering safety solutions, staff adoption is a question to ask during evaluation and after rollout, not simply at installation.
Why Do Students and Staff Both Need to Feel Safe?
Ron returns to the student’s perspective near the end of his conversation with Robb. “Kids will not learn inside of school if they don’t feel safe,” he says. He wants children to have trusted adults they can approach about bullying, trouble at home, or other concerns. The CDC’s guidance on safe and supportive school environments likewise emphasizes students’ connection to important adults at school.
Then Ron adds a group he believes often gets overlooked: staff. Educators need to feel safe to focus on teaching and to support the students who depend on them. The American Psychological Association’s research on violence and aggression against school personnel underscores why staff safety deserves attention alongside student safety. The U.S. Department of Education’s staff support resources also place staff support within the work of creating a safe school climate.
At his former district, Ron says the team showed new employees the CrisisAlert™ wearable panic button during hiring conversations and told them they could request help when they needed it. He recalls that this helped the district’s recruiting conversations; the episode does not establish a measured recruiting outcome. The larger principle is clear: giving staff a way to act can be one part of a school safety culture, alongside trusted relationships, training, and response protocols. Lori Alhadeff’s discussion of building a culture of school safety offers another perspective on that shared responsibility.
What Should a School Safety Plan Make Possible Every Day?
When Robb asks where a superintendent with a limited budget should start, Ron answers with assessment. Leaders need to understand their campuses as they are today, then consider how an investment will contribute to the school’s culture. New locks, an alert system, and other improvements each require people to know how and when to use them.
The CISA K–12 School Security Guide provides a framework for assessing vulnerabilities and planning layered physical security. SchoolSafety.gov’s emergency planning resources connect planning with the people and response organizations that will carry it out.
Ron also cautions against waiting until a major incident for educators, law enforcement, and emergency managers to work together. They can clarify their roles and communications ahead of time. The Department of Homeland Security’s exercise starter kits offer a way to test plans and identify gaps. A plan for getting help to staff and coordinating response should account for the ordinary medical and behavioral incidents Ron had in mind, as well as major threats.
Ron’s first lesson in school safety came from showing up for one student. His later work expanded that commitment across campuses, but the question stayed personal: Will students and staff have someone they trust, and will help be available when they need it?
Hear Ron tell the story in Episode 9 of The Safety Signal, “Ron Self: The Student Who Changed His Mission in School Safety”.