TASRO News

Hello, TASRO Family!

It is truly an honor and a privilege to serve as your President. I want to begin by saying thank you for the trust you've placed in me. I don't take this responsibility lightly, and I'm excited for what lies ahead as we continue working together to support School Resource Officers, School-Based Law Enforcement Officers, and school safety professionals across Texas.

For those of you I haven't had the opportunity to meet yet, I'd like to introduce myself.

I have been in law enforcement for 29 years and am beginning my 12th year as a School Resource Officer. I currently serve as a Detective with The Colony Police Department and as the SRO at Lakeview Middle School in Lewisville ISD, located in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

As a child, I had an influential encounter with law enforcement, which led me to join the Paris Police Department Explorer Program at the age of 15, and I never looked back.

Since then, I've been blessed with opportunities to serve in many different roles throughout my career, but School Resource Officer has been the best job! Every assignment has taught me something valuable, but without question, serving in our schools has been the most rewarding chapter of my career.

The 2026–2027 school year marks my twelfth year as an SRO, and I truly believe there is no greater opportunity in law enforcement than investing in the lives of young people. Every day, we have the privilege of protecting students, mentoring them, building trust, and creating positive relationships that can last a lifetime.

One of my favorite ways to connect with students extends beyond my middle school campus. Through a program I created called "Officer JD's Joke and Safety Tip," I visit with students from my two feeder elementary schools by sharing Dad jokes, letting students share one back, and ending each episode with an age-appropriate safety tip. The videos are played during morning announcements, and they've become something students genuinely look forward to. There's nothing quite like being in Walmart and having a fifth grader run across the store yelling, "Officer JD!" before wrapping themselves around your legs in a giant hug. I may not know every student's name, but they know mine, they trust me, and they don't fear law enforcement. To me, that's what being an SRO is all about.

I've been a proud member of TASRO since 2015 and have attended every School Safety Conference since joining. One of the reasons I became involved with the Board was because of the way I was treated from the very beginning. Every board member welcomed me like family. That sense of belonging and camaraderie made a lasting impression on me, and it's something I'm committed to preserving for every member who joins TASRO in the future. Serving on the Board over the past several years has been one of the greatest honors of my career.

As your President, my commitment is simple. I want TASRO to continue being an organization built on excellence, professionalism, collaboration, and service. Our strength has always been our willingness to learn from one another, encourage one another, and stand beside one another. We are more than an association, we are a family.

I look forward to meeting more of you throughout the year and seeing many of you at our upcoming trainings and annual conference. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's ever anything I can do to support you.

Thank you for allowing me to serve.

Stay safe, stay encouraged, and thank you for all you do for Texas schools.

JD Simmons
President, Texas Association of School Resource Officers

jd.simmons@tasro.org

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." — Matthew 5:9

"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" — Isaiah 6:8

Registration for our best conference yet is open now! Don't miss out on this awesome event!

Click HERE for more information!

Region 2- 1 position

Region 3- 1 position

Region 5- 1 position

If you are interested in filling a vacant regional director position in your region please complete an application. Some of the regional director responsibilities include, conducting regional meetings, organize regional training opportunities, being the spokesperson to the board for your region, recruiting in your region, and serving on committees. For additional requirements to serve as regional director please review the TASRO By-laws.

TASRO launched a new website in 2025 and we want to ensure all of our users have the ability to access information!

If you attempt to Login, but the system will not allow you to, please click on the register button, and register your account. You should be able to locate your existing account through this process.

Once you have registered your account, you will be able to login with your username and password.

Once you have logged in, please go to your information screen and ensure we have your correct information.

We specifically ask that update your region (regional map located on the site), your birthdate, and your PID number.

For assistance with login, please email info@tasro.org

Why School Policing is Unlike Any Other Assignment in Law Enforcement

This is an excellent article to share with administrators to advocate for your role in prevention.

There are some exciting changes coming for next year's conference agenda! Our organization is growing and we are planning some exciting new opportunities for training, networking and collaboration!

We recognize the importance of the partnerships our SROs have with their team of school administrators. TASRO is striving to offer training opportunities that benefit both SROs and school staff. We have added a new EDUCATOR tab under the "About Us" portion of our website. We also have educator specific resources under our "Resources" tab on the website.

We encourage you to invite your administrators and other relevant school leaders to our Annual School Safety Conference!

Each month we will be sharing valuable updates and resources. Some of the resources may be great for you. Some of the resources may be great to share with school staff, parents, or students. If you have specific questions related to Texas Education Code or school related matters, please feel free to submit questions to our Educator Representative- Dr. Stephanie Duer (sduer@esc6.net).

To the Administrator Addressed Correspondence

89th Legislature Summary

SB12-Parent Rights

TEA Updates- School Safety & Security

Email: info@tasro.org
Website: www.tasro.org
Facebook: facebook.com/TASRO