EAST FELICIANA – Students in East Feliciana head back to the classroom Aug. 11, and the Sheriff’s office says their top priority is safety ahead of the new school year.

Law enforcement is stationed at every school campus in East Feliciana, and Sheriff Jeff Travis is in charge.

Deputy Chelsea Thompson is the School Resource Officer at Slaughter Elementary.

“I wear many hats,” Thompson said. “You become a counselor, a mentor. Sometimes I have to take off my deputy hat and put on my mommy hat. I enjoy the hugs, tying the shoes, the high fives.”

Sheriff Jeff Travis says having an officer at every school ensures safety for every student.

“It's about prevention and prediction,” Travis said. “Many of the things an SRO does are that he may help a student, resolve a conflict, or he may predict or notice a threat or a potential threat that he may solve before the threat manifests.”

Four campuses have sheriff’s deputies. Travis says that wasn’t the case when he first took the job and that it’s tremendously important that parents and students both do their parts to ensure a safe school year.

The schools in East Feliciana have clear bag policies, and cellphones are not allowed on campus, per state law. Thompson has another request for parents sending their students to school.

“Send them on a positive note," Thompson said. “When they leave home, that's usually how their day is going to go. If you send them off on a positive note, where they're happy, they're ready to go.”