Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody today launched the Hallway Heroes initiative and named Master Deputy Donald Roenbeck of the Lake County Sheriff's Office the 2023 School Resource Officer of the Year. While speaking at the 2023 Florida Association of School Resource Officers Summer Conference, Attorney General Moody welcomed Master Deputy Roenbeck to the stage to receive the award. Attorney General Moody also announced a new initiative, Hallway Heroes, with the goal of encouraging students to work with school resource officers and use the statewide tip reporting line, **TIPS, to help keep communities safe. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “I am excited to launch Hallway Heroes ahead of the 2023-2024 academic school year. This new initiative will help strengthen the relationship between students and law enforcement to increase safety in schools and beyond. 

“Today, we also present Master Deputy Roenbeck with the 2023 School Resource Officer of the Year Award. His commitment to serving his school is exemplified in the way he engages with students and the relationships formed from these meaningful interactions. Master Deputy Roenbeck’s unwavering dedication and compassion are making lasting impacts on the students he serves.”

Master Deputy Roenbeck is known by peers for being a positive influence and going above and beyond to engage with students at Spring Creek Charter School in Lake County. Once, a student qualified for a Washington, D.C. trip and planned on foregoing the opportunity due to financial hardship. Master Deputy Roenbeck personally paid for the trip, allowing the student to join peers and participate. Master Deputy Roenbeck also volunteers weekend hours with the school’s sports booster programs to help raise money and travels with the sports teams to support student athletes.

During the conference, Attorney General Moody also announced the new Hallway Heroes initiative. The program provides school-aged children with crime-prevention resources and builds on fostering positive relationships between students and school resource officers. Resources will be made available to participating schools throughout the state encouraging students to talk to school resource officers and report suspicious activity. 

Attorney General Moody also encouraged attendees at the conference to use the resources provided in the Helping Heroes program that launched in April. Helping Heroes provides emergency responders with free naloxone at participating Walmart pharmacy locations across Florida.

A recent study conducted by Families Against Fentanyl found that children under the age of 14 are dying of fentanyl poisoning at a faster rate than any other age group. Equipping school resource officers with naloxone doses provides another tool to protect students while attending school. More information about the Helping Heroes program can be found here.

Original source can be found here.