NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — Newport News police officers are planning to help the youngest students in the city this year by “adopting” schools.
This new Adopt-a-School program impacts schools like Jenkins Elementary.
Through this program, at least one officer will be assigned to each elementary school in Newport News to help mentor the students.
The officer and some none-sworn staff will spend at least 30 minutes a week with the kids — from walking the halls to reading inside of classrooms.
Police Chief Steve Drew told 10 On Your Side the new program will help create positive relationships with the young students.
“I want the men and women of this department to interact with the youth of our city. I want them to have a number for the principal at that school and I want the principal to have a number one point of contact for all elementary schools,” Drew said. “If there’s an issue going on, if they would like to have something with the police department, they have someone to call right away.”
The department said in a news release last week the officers assigned to these schools are not school resource officers (SROs) — which are assigned full-time to the city’s middle and high schools.