Sparta SRO Nelson receives commendation from school board

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Sparta Area School District’s School Resource Officer Marc Nelson was given commendations at last week’s school board meeting for his part in saving a young student outside of the district who had threatened to harm themself. 

Earlier in September, Superintendent Dr. Amy Van Deuren and Sparta Police Chief Emilee Nottestad each received an email from a faculty member, who will remain unidentified, at Clark School out of Cleveland Metropolitan School District in Cleveland, Ohio  

The email read, “I could not allow for the weekend to come to a close without reaching out to you to make you aware of a series of events that took place this past Friday.”

The faculty member had received a message from Officer Nelson regarding a possible concern related to one of her students. A student at SASD trusted Officer Nelson enough to share with him about a middle school student in Ohio that had threatened to harm herself. 

After receiving the information from the student, Officer Nelson investigated the situation by using the information he had to determine which school district and which school the child in need attended. 

“His determination is to be recognized because he even used images from different photos to determine the student lived in Cleveland,” the email stated.  

Officer Nelson was able to connect with the faculty member in Cleveland, who was then able to identify the student and provide her the assistance that she needed. 

“Last year was definitely one for the record books, but one of the great pieces is that students each received a technology device and they have learned how to communicate with others using different platforms,” the faculty member said. “Because of this, the students were able to communicate, and we were able to intervene in a situation that could have ended very differently.”

“Oftentimes what we do on a daily basis goes unnoticed so it’s important for me to notify you of this great example in the hard work of Officer Nelson,” the email continued.

Van Deuren also offered kudos to the administration team at the students' school and to Maria Cabanit, a school counselor at SHS, who was instrumental in the process. 

“Based on this instance, they have created a culture that allows students to feel comfortable to reach out to an adult in a difficult situation,” she said.  

Sparta Area School District, School Resource Officer Marc Nelson

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