‘We’ve got this’: What it means for this CMS resource officer to keep your students safe
J.J. Flowers knows what you’re thinking. He knows that teachers and parents are nervous.
When Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools begins classes Monday, the trauma of the shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, three months ago still weighs heavily on the minds of most people. The gunman’s rampage at Robb Elementary left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Flowers knows that everyone is worried and nervous because his job as a school resource officer assigned to Rocky River High School in Mint Hill is to keep children safe.
“I have to have a discussion with my family often: I chose this profession. But in this profession, I may not come home,” the 56-year-old says. “My job is to make sure no one gets hurt.”
Flowers spoke with The Charlotte Observer’s education reporter Anna Maria Della Costa to share his thoughts on what it means to be an SRO in CMS, a district that had a record-high number of guns found on campuses last year, and why he’s dedicated 20 of his 33 years as a sworn law enforcement officer to students in schools.
And he has a message for all the parents who are concerned: ”We’ve got this. I know you want to know that your child is safe when you put them on that school bus or drop them off at that school.”
This following is told from Flowers’ viewpoint to the Observer’s Della Costa.
A role model
I am a counselor. I am a parent. Some of these young people look at me as a role model.
When school opens and we have grade-level assemblies, I will say this as simply as I can: I am your school resource officer. I’m not your school arresting officer. I’m not your school discipline officer. I am a resource to you.
I will sit down and listen, talk and help you with some of the issues that you may be having.
Some of you will walk up to me and say ”Officer Flowers, can I speak to you?” A lot of times, when we’re in transition, I will tell you to go stand by my office and give me a moment because I want to make sure I give you all of me. I don’t want to start a conversation with you and have to stop and do something else.
I know you’re dealing with a lot, especially social-emotional issues. This is what I want people to understand: I’m not just there to deal with law enforcement stuff and chaos. I’m on that campus. I’m part of the staff. I’m part of that community. You can’t just say, “I’m a police officer and that’s it.”
How was your weekend?
I start my day on campus at 6:30 a.m. At 6:45 a.m., students are allowed to come into the school building.
We have the Evolv body scanners that everyone has to go through. I’ve been trained on the scanners, but I have to be in the area in case something comes up.
A day for me is getting students to class, walking the halls, greeting them, giving them high-fives, a “Hello” or a “Good morning.” If we’re coming back from a weekend, I’ll ask “How was your weekend?”
I’ll talk about sports because I work every sporting event.
Sometimes, I’ll just talk about life in general.
On a normal day without any sports, my day ends at 3 p.m. But those days are few and far between.
We usually have volleyball, soccer, football that I help out with. So my day starts at 6:30 a.m. but may not end until 10:30 p.m. on a Friday night. If I have the time, I have my gym bag with me and I’m a member of the YMCA. I will go and work out and come back to the school. Even I need some breakdown time.
I made this choice
Everybody knows the reason why I’m here, especially with the big one that we left off with last year in this country: Uvalde. That’s the issue that’s on everybody’s mind coming back to school right now.
Teachers and parents are nervous. I want to let you know that we plan ahead. We know what we’re going to do.
We all know that some mistakes were made in Uvalde. I don’t play Monday morning quarterback. I will only tell you that in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, we are prepared. There’s a plan in place. Everybody understands it.
When I get up in the morning and get on that school campus, I made my choice. My job is to make sure no one gets hurt.
To parents: We’ve got this. I know you want to know that your child is safe when you put them on that school bus or drop them off at that school.
I need you to be realistic. I’m not a genie. I don’t have a crystal ball to say who, what, where. I can’t tell you we’ve got a bubble around this place. But I’m aware. I pay attention. When I talk to my teachers, I tell them to please pay attention to your children. You’re in the classroom with them for 90 minutes. There are signs.
I have a son in middle school. I know his school resource officer, but do I worry about something going on? Absolutely.
Children know if you’re genuine
I want to tell the adults: you know who I learn more from? The youth of our community because they’re going to be honest with you. Don’t try to bull---- them. Because guess what? They can see right through it, and they will eat you alive. They know if you’re genuine or not.
It’s been a process.
Now we’re moving into this post-COVID thing. We weren’t doing good before COVID. Now we’re on the other side of it and these kids have been through a lot.
This past year, I had a young man who lost five family members to COVID-related stuff and just life in general. Just before the world shut down, I lost my mother. My rock. She left here on March 7, 2020 at 4 p.m.
But for adults, we had the pleasure of knowing what “normal” looked like. These kids in school have been uprooted.
You’ve got to meet them where they’re at. I’ve had a student cuss me up and down and an hour later I’ve got them in my office crying, telling me their life story.
When I was at South Mecklenburg High, I had three young ladies tell me that I was the first person they told they were pregnant. I am a law enforcement officer, and I do have to do law enforcement things. But I’m a person with children. I’m a person with the understanding that sometimes children need guidance.
Finding ways to connect
When Pride month in June comes around, I go on Amazon about a week before and buy little pins because I have an LGBTQ+ club. I get them all together and give them a pin because I do not want them to feel excluded.
You don’t exclude anybody. They’re kids. They’re going through stuff. I’m going to find ways to connect with you.
The rewarding part of this job is knowing that you touched some of these young people’s lives. A large majority of them do listen. They come back and let you know that they listened and they thank you — that’s a huge part. Huge part.
When I leave here I’ve got to go back to school because I’m a bus driver. I have to drive the volleyball team, so then I have that group of young ladies to talk with.
My wife says there’s nothing I can’t do.
This story was originally published August 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
