C Hunter Ritchie School Security

School Security Officers recently received recertification in “Youth Mental Health First Aid”.

We would like to thank Fauquier Mental Health for conducting the training👍

My relief arrived this morning……I’m going fishing👍😄

I was recently certified through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services as a Trainer for our School Security Officer Curriculum.

I will be working along side SSO Franz Mahler who is assigned at Kettle Run High School, to conduct the trainings for those officers hired by Fauquier County Public Schools👍

This is a required certification course for individuals hired as a School Security Officer in the State of Virginia

School Security Officers report to their assigned schools on Wednesday, August 9, 2023.

My door is always open to parents who want to know more about the FCPS School Security Officer Program and my specific responsibilities here at C Hunter Ritchie Elementary.

Please reach out to me anytime:

Email- [email protected]
Cell - 540-422-6635

Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Thank you!

Training Update 2023:

School Security Officers recently completed their annual Firearm Qualification Courses and were recertified in CPR / AED / First Aid.

A thank you to the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department who conducted the trainings👍

School Spirit - it’s all about our children!😁👍

Training update:

School Security Officers recently recieved training and are now certified to administer Naloxone(Narcan) for an Opioid overdose.

I will be attending our PTO Meeting on Tuesday, September 13, 2022 at 7:00 P.M. and tentatively scheduled for a brief presentation for our parents on the School Security Officer Program for FCPS. The presentation includes topics on the responsibilities, training, and response to emergencies, of a School Security Officer.

Please let me know if there is a specific topic you would like for me to discuss.

I can be reached at [email protected]

Thank you

FCPS Highlights Article:

Experience and a Little Magic Contribute to the Success of the FCPS SSO Program

We are proud of the accomplishments of the SSO program since it was first established in our school division in 2018. School security officers (SSOs) are individuals employed by local school boards for the purposes outlined in Virginia Code Section 9.1-101 to include maintaining order and discipline, preventing crime, investigating violations of school board policies, and ensuring the safety, security, and welfare of students, staff, and visitors.

Check out the stats below to learn more about the experience of our school security professionals:

Did you know?
FCPS currently employs 15 SSOs (Sal Torelli, Franz Mahler, Charlie Crummett, Jeff Crane, Andrew Keahon, Kevin Jacobs, George Southard, Thomas Spicer, John Hunter, Ray Acors, James Hartman, Greg Mauck, John Anderson, Mundy Crummett, and Russell Mullins).

School security officers must meet qualifications and be authorized by the School Board to be armed. All 15 FCPS SSOs are armed, making the FCPS SSO program the largest ARMED school security officer program in the Commonwealth of Virginia!

What's more, our SSOs have a wealth of experience and training. The 15 officers currently employed have 457.5 years of experience.
Nine officers retired with over 30 years of service
Six officers retired with over 25 years of service

FCPS SSOs retired with the following ranks:
2 Majors
1 Captain of the patrol division.
2 lieutenants of Criminal Investigation Unit.
3 F/sgts to include the supervisor of the SRO division.
4 Sergeants to include two with the Virginia State Police and one with the Hopewell Police Department and the Washington DC Police (bomb squad)
1 Master Patrol Deputy
3 Master Police Officers

FCPS SSOs retired from the following departments:
Fauquier County Sheriff's Office 9
Virginia State Police 2
Warrenton Police Department
Hopewell Police Department
Washington DC Police Department 3

Sal Torelli and Franz Mahler serve as certified School Security Officer instructors, allowing them to teach the school security curriculum approved by the Commonwealth of Virginia. To date, the two have instructed many of the current FCPS School Security Officers and officers from Stafford, Loudoun, Norfolk, Culpeper, and Spotsylvania school systems.

We can't help but be impressed by the experience of our SSOs! But what is the magic, you may wonder? Stay tuned for part two of this story.

School Security Officers maintain several certifications. Recently, we received Youth Mental Health First Aid Training and are re-certified every two years👍

FCPS Security Officers report to their assigned schools on Monday, August 17, 2020 and will be working Monday-Friday. Parents, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions related to School Security matters👍

Thank you!

Email: [email protected]

Our “Drive-Thru😁” Graduation Ceremonies were held on June 3, 2020 - Such a great turn out!

Congratulations to everyone! We will miss our graduating Fifth Graders.

Looking forward to seeing our returning friends this school year👍

Drivers be alert! Please stop for our bus drivers when required. If the bus is in our parking lot in front of the school with its Red lights and Stop Sign activated, please do not pass the bus, there are children entering or exiting the bus. Keep our children safe!! Thank you

‪FCPS have adopted Tobacco-Free School Zones that prohibit the use of to***co products on school property. This FCPS Policy (5-3.2) includes everyone😁 Thank you for your cooperation!‬

C Hunter Richie and our PTO want to thank Detective Rosenberry with the Fauquier County Sheriff's Office, for her presentation on "Social Media - Keeping our Children Safe Online." It was informative and generated questions from our parents and staff. The listed links provide some information that was covered for anyone who may not have been able to attend - Thank you.

http://www.safekids.com/child-safety-on-the-information-highway/

https://www.safekids.com/kids-rules-for-online-safety/

Child Safety on the Information Highway — 20th Anniversary Edition | SafeKids.com All-new content: This guide was originally written in 1994 for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), and slightly updated a few times until 2005. This is the first complete re-write that reflects not just changes in technology but what we’ve learned from all the great resea...

FCPS personnel, Fauquier County Fire & Rescue, and several law enforcement agencies participated in a Hostile Incident Tabletop exercise this morning, hosted by the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department
Great Training!

Child Safety Seats - Has your seat been properly installed and your child secured correctly? The following links will provide a wealth of information for parents to be assured their child is protected.

https://www.safekids.org/car-seat

https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/car-seats-and-booster-seats

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/child-passenger-safety/

https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title46.2/chapter10/section46.2-1095/

Car Seat Safety Tips Keep your kids safe by using the right car seat in the right way. We’ll show you how.

All parents are invited to attend our CHR PTO Meeting on Tuesday, January 14, 2020 at 6:00 P.M. Detective Dawn Rosenberry will be giving a presentation, on "Social Media Dangers - What parents should know - Keeping Our Children Safe Online" The Fauquier County Sheriff's Department is a member of the Northern Virginia-Washington D.C. Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, and Detective Rosenberry has participated in many criminal internet investigations. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

School Security Officers with Deputies from the Fauquier County Sheriff’s Department recently participated in a three day Scenario Based Active Threat Training Program. All School Security Officers are certified and will maintain their training annually.

Had a suspicious character visit C. Hunter Ritchie today!!

Some of my friends at Ritchie found me at the Warrenton Christmas Parade!

School Security Officers have been given the responsibility to oversee the Management and Training of the Copsync911 Alert System at our individually assigned schools.

I will be working alongside with our Administration and ITRT to make sure everyone is comfortable with the alert system. The training will be scheduled during a faculty meeting in the near future and annually.

Fauquier County Schools Security Officer Program was established in 2018 to ensure the safety and welfare of students, staff and visitors

In December 2018, George Southard was assigned to C. Hunter Ritchie Elementary School as the School Security Officer. He is a lifelong resident of the Town of Warrenton and veteran police officer, having served the local community for 33 years. He retired as a Lieutenant from the Warrenton Police Department, where his primary role was supervising and participating in activities of the Uniformed Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Community Services Divisions and the Regional Mental Health Crisis Intervention Team. After retirement in 2017, he worked at Wakefield School in the Plains, Virginia, with their Director of Safety and Transportation Department.

I attended the Annual K-12 Threat Assessment Conference in Richmond, Virginia, earlier this month, along with several other Fauquier County School personnel. Valuable information was learned and shared with our staff at a recent faculty meeting.

It is all about School Community Awareness. I would like to thank our parents and staff for helping keep our students safe by immediately reporting suspicious activities. So far this year, five suspicious vehicles and three suspicious persons have been reported to School Security and resolved , everything was okay!

Wow! Our teachers and students are in top physical condition, they ran the Annual Turkey Trot 5K Run on Saturday morning,
WAY TO GO!!

A few dads are interested in establishing the Watch D.O.G.S Program at C Hunter Ritchie, if you would like to volunteer, please contact me at [email protected]

For more information about the program, please visit:
https://dadsofgreatstudents.com/