Thank You Safety Officers
Sunday, January 9, was National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day. We appreciate all who serve our community. We are especially grateful to Erie 1 BOCES’ school safety officers across Erie County who keep our students and staff safe.
- Kenton: Corey Flateau, Mark Starich, Patrick Day, Brian Valint, Anthony Colangelo, Michael Wlodarczyk
- Potter: James Unger, John Urbanski, Joseph Reidy, Brian Cosgrove, Bryan French, Daniel Volpe
- Hakrness: Brad Hebeler
- Winchester: Jonathan Luterek, Daniel Volpe, Kevin Carr, James Gehen, and Matthew Leitzel
- Northtowns: Jason Arlington, Joseph Caputy, Joseph Kazmark, Robert Kubus, Edward Lattuca, William Laugeman, Matthew Leitzel, Timothy Melber, Mark Scranton
- EDGE: Officer Tony Nazzarett
For a glimpse into the life a of school safety officer, EDGE Academy Principal Rob Boccaccio provided some details on how Officer Tony Nazzarett is making a difference with his students.
“The role of the school safety officer is described by the National Association of School Resource Officers as having three main components: educator, informal counselor/mentor, and law enforcement officer. Officer Tony Nazzarett is employed as the school safety officer at EDGE Academy, an alternative high school for at-risk youth located in Cheektowaga, New York.
Officer Nazzarett harbors a special skillset specifically around the role of informal counselor/mentor that is unrivaled. Students and staff alike find Officer Nazzarett approachable, confide in him and most importantly, trust him. Each of our school social workers create an ICMP (Individualized Crisis Management Plan) for every student, asking probing questions about their triggers, early indicators when escalating behaviors are imminent and who their go-to people are in the event of crisis. Time and again, the students list Officer Nazzarett as the key person to find should they experience crisis.
Officer Nazzarett frequently reaffirms his skillset as informal counselor with a number of significant crises in the same week. It would be hard to refute the formative years of high school as being a difficult time for adolescents to navigate. Compound that with today’s increasing complexities and social media pressures, one is left to wonder how we better support our students during this time.
At the heart of Officer Nazzarett’s superpower is undoubtedly his compassion. Put simply, he cares. Students can sense that and are experts at knowing who cares and who only pretends. Indelibly, the influence left behind on those who have the good fortune to interact with him is lasting and his legacy will be one of great societal impact for the better that offers hope in a time where it is arguably needed the most.”