Of all the threats that school police officers monitor, add Artificial Intelligence to the list.
“We’ve had people create AI bots that sound like a principal to send emergency messages, or make inappropriate statements that cause concern in the community,” said John McDonald, of the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA).
“We’ve had threats from potential attackers using AI to create fake images, deep fakes to put out threats … Our law enforcement is struggling to keep up with that technology, so it’s important that we talk about it today.”
About 125 school resource officers and administrators from across the state attended School Safety Specialist Academy, a three-day session in Ozark hosted by the MSBA’s Center for Education Safety. In addition to the session about keeping students safe in an AI world, topics ran the gamut — from creating a safe climate and culture to developing plans for emergency operations.
McDonald is the chief operating officer for the MSBA’s Center for Education Safety. It was created about 20 years ago after the state of Missouri stopped funding school safety training, McDonald said.
The center runs five of these academies a year, he said. The police officers and educators who attend learn about developing a positive climate and culture, encouraging kids to report concerns, preparing emergency plans and run lockdown drills for active shooters. Sessions are led by experts in the field.
The training is important because of hazards in the school environment. McDonald said many schools have been hit by tornadoes over the last two years, and school shootings are increasing.
“There is no higher honor, no greater responsibility than protecting those who cannot protect themselves,” McDonald said. “We need to create that foundational school safety because we know when a kid feels safe they become a better learner, they have better attendance, higher test scores, better graduation rates.”
Information from the sessions help officers stay current about trends and threats. Steven Wilbur, a school police officer with Nixa Schools, said the session about AI was particularly informative to him.
“We’re all aware of how students use AI for tests, homework and things like that,” Wilbur said. “I think the part that stood out to me the most was the companionship portion of it. Kids and some adults are turning to (AI) as like a confidant or somebody they can talk to, as a kind of outlet.”
Officers from as far away as St. Charles and Potosi attended this week’s session. While differences between small and large districts call for police to act differently, officers found commonality with each other.
“A lot of it is about the physical security of our buildings,” said Mark Mussutti of the Pattonville R-3 School District. “One of the commonalities is that we are all trying to get our buildings secure, to comply with national standards now.”
The academy helps school police officers and other school officials to be compliant with the terms of Senate Bill 68, a law passed in 2025 that established comprehensive school safety mandates.
