July 15, 2024 – Phoenix – Frank DeAngelis, who was principal at Colorado’s Columbine High School the day of the 1999 massacre and Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law Professor Dr. Bernard James each received lifetime achievement awards today from the National Association of School Resource Officers at the organization’s annual National School Safety Conference.
Since the Columbine tragedy, DeAngelis has accepted many invitations to speak about recovery from a school tragedy at conferences across the United States and has assisted as a consultant after several other acts of school violence.
“He could have easily left after that day in April of 1999 and none of us would have blamed him,” said NASRO executive director Mo Canady during today’s presentation, “but that’s not Frank.”
James is a leading expert on education law, which is the subject of one of many courses he teaches at Pepperdine. He is a contributing editor to NASRO’s Journal of School Safety and is author of the School Safety Law Blog. He has presented a keynote address at every NASRO National School Safety Conference – to packed rooms – since at least 1998.
“I often wonder how many lives have possibly been saved on K-12 campuses due to the training that we have all received from Bernie,” Canady said.
This year, NASRO renamed the award the Archie T. Hodge NASRO Lifetime Achievement Award, in honor of Hodge, who helped found the organization in 1991. Hodge is a Mississippi resident who continues to serve on NASRO’s board of directors as chaplain, even though he retired from law enforcement in 2006 after serving as an SRO for 22 years. He was also the first recipient of the organization's lifetime achievement award.
About NASRO
The National Association of School Resource Officers is a nonprofit organization for school-based law enforcement officers, school administrators and school security and safety professionals working as partners to protect students, school faculty and staff, and the schools where they learn and work. NASRO provides specific training for SROs at locations around the nation, hosts an annual National School Safety Conference and advocates for best practices to help SRO programs accomplish their goals while avoiding unintended consequences. NASRO is headquartered in Hoover, Alabama, and was established in 1991. For more information, visit www.nasro.org.
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