Full Notification

In a joint agreement with the Town of New Castle, the Chappaqua School District Board of Education has named and acknowledged Michelle Mazzocchi as the School Resource Officer (SRO) at Horace Greeley High School.

Currently a Police Officer with the Town of New Castle Police Department, Officer Mazzocchi has received basic and advanced training as an SRO as well as training in juvenile law, crisis intervention, and social-emotional learning. She also holds certifications in the administration of CPR, AED, and Narcan.

“We are thrilled that Officer Mazzocchi will be the School Resource Office at Horace Greeley High School.  Having been assigned to work at Greeley since 2018, Officer Mazzocchi knows the students and the school culture and is the ideal candidate to serve our community in this new, formalized position” said Dr. Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of the Chappaqua Central School District.

In addition to building a positive working relationship between the community, school, and the police department, the SRO shall:

• Maintain a visible and approachable presence on the Greeley campus to deter criminal activity and discourage unwanted and undesirable visitors.
• Increase student awareness about crime prevention, Internet safety, substance abuse and prevention, distracted driving, social media, conflict resolution, violence prevention, restorative justice, peer mediation, and similar issues.
• Proactively address problems as they relate to students before such problems can manifest into socially and legally unacceptable behavior.
• Be aware of occurrences in the community that may carry over into school.
• Increase staff awareness about policies and procedures for preventing/responding to incidents of violence and other threats to school safety.
• Serve as a counselor, role model, and advocate for students, families, faculty, and staff.

While the SRO’s primary focus is prevention and deterrence, it is important to know that, in order to support a positive, symbiotic relationship, the SRO is not the school disciplinarian and will not conduct criminal investigations on school property, unless there is real and substantial harm or imminent threat of harm to students, staff or overall public safety. However, the expertise of the SRO will assist school administrators in taking immediate action and will provide direct access to police assistance and services, if needed.

“Officer Mazzocchi has an impressive record of building trusting relationships with youth, school staff, and the community,” said James Carroll, Chief of Police for the New Castle Police Department. “We are proud to partner with the District to help maintain a safe, peaceful, and orderly atmosphere in which students can pursue their education and engage in extracurricular activities.”