Jason Roelofs has been a longtime fixture in Kingsley Area Schools. He's a parent to three Kingsley graduates and one current student, he's coached multiple teams over the years, and he's married to a Kingsley teacher.
This school year, he's taking on a new role in the district as the new School Resource Officer.
In mid-July, Grand Traverse County commissioners approved funding for the position, and Sherriff's Deputy Roelofs was hand-picked for the job.
"I'm excited to just be there for the kids," said Deputy Roelofs. "School safety will be my number one priority. But part of this job will not be law enforcement-related, it will be getting into classrooms, being a mentor, and being available for kids to talk to."
Deputy Roelofs will have an office at the high school but will rotate between all three schools.
"[He] will work to do all those things that a social worker is able to do. But then they also provide some of that school protection, some of the, you know, stiffening of a school because it's such a soft target," Superintendent Brad Reyburn said to 7&4 News in an interview.
"So it's really nice to have a person who can be the presence of helping with the social aspects of truancy and some of the social issues that our students are struggling with right now and then also being just that presence in the school that deters some negative activities."
Deputy Roelofs previously served as the School Resource Officer at KAS between 2006-2010, and he's excited to start and end his days at the school once again.
"I want the kids and parents to know that I have an open-door policy. If they have an issue and they want to talk, feel free to reach out to me," he said.
Deputy Roelofs has already started the transition to his new role and students will see him on their first day of school.
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