By Mike Hutchens, UC Schools Communications Director
Union City, Tenn.–Stephanie Marshall wears many hats as the School Resource Officer at Union City Elementary School.
It sorta goes with the unofficial uniform of the job.
Marshall, who has served in her current position since 2002 and has been an employee of the Union City Police Department for 25 years, is much more than the traditional SRO though.
From monitoring any and all student/teacher safety policies to serving as a second-mother figure to many students, a sounding board for teachers and administrators and a liaison between parents and school personnel, Marshall indeed has a long list of responsibilities.
She’s a willing participant, too, in school plays and functions, works traffic around campus and monitors playground activities on a regular basis.
And Marshall performs all those tasks exceptionally, according to UCES Principal David Byars.
“Officer Marshall is here before every school day starts and she’s here after every school day ends – doing anything and everything she’s asked to do, and more,” Byars said. “She’s as invested as any employee we have in the building and participates in all facets of so many of our kids’ lives.
“She’s absolutely a team player and not only does anything asked and expected of her, but also does so many things both inside the hallways and outside the building, too, for our teachers, staff and students. She’s not afraid to step on people’s toes if the situation calls for it, and any safety concern or if there’s ever a viable threat, she’s all over it.
“You can’t put a price tag on that.”
A parent to four children herself who turned 54 earlier this week, Marshall combines her ‘mothering’ skills with those duties as a law enforcement officer and the level-headedness and fairness of a counselor to fill a variety of roles on the UCES campus.
“Whatever I see that needs to be done, I do,” she said. “I get a lot of satisfaction in being able to calm down a student or a parent when they’re upset and confrontational. A lot of them are afraid of the police, but when you can get them settled, they’ll listen most of the time and you can reason with them.
“I just want to be a calming presence when I can. Sometimes, that’s not possible, though, and I do what I have to do to ensure I’m serving and protecting the students and staff of our school.”
Marshall, who laughingly said she answers to “Officer Marshall,” “TT” and “Miss Marshall” among other names, insists she’s most gratified in her position when former students return and tell her she made a difference in their lives long ago.
“When I see them and they say, ‘thank-you.’ When they leave here and go to middle school and high school, they still remember me and how I cared about them — but that I also made them accountable for their actions and behavior. That means the world to me,” she said.
“It’s the same thing as when one of our students now gives me a hug. I know I’m making a difference.”
Marshall, who calls herself a “big Wes Kennedy fan” and says she often encounters the UC schools director on her early-morning tours around campus, recalled how the SRO opportunity came about for her 17 years ago and chuckled. She also talked candidly with having to overcome the impressions some uninformed people had of her role.
“I was a patrolman and I was tired of dealing with drunks,” she laughed. “The chief (Joe Garner) came to me and asked how I’d like to work in the school system. I jumped at it. And I’ve never been sorry.
“You have to get over the stigma some people have of you as being a ‘kindergarten cop.’ Some others look at you as a security cop. I know better. And better than that, the people who employ me and the ones I serve know better, too.”
And on the subject of uniform, Marshall has bounced back and forth between casual, dress casual and the traditional police attire.
“I wore my uniform my entire first year and the kids wouldn’t talk to me,” she smiled. “I’ve changed my way of thinking a little since then, and I believe that’s helped.
“I always have my weapon, but that’s been the only constant with how I’ve dressed.”
Somehow, no matter how she’s attired, one can be assured Marshall has the proper SRO hat to match whatever she chooses from her closet.
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