After six months of grueling campaigning, the author anxiously began his tenure as mayor of Meriden, Connecticut, a diverse community of about 58,000 residents that is approximately 20 miles north of New Haven and 20 miles south of the state capitol, Hartford. As a former special education teacher and a current vice principal, it was no surprise to his constituents that improving the climate and culture of their high schools would be a top priority during his administration. The need for discipline reform was apparent. After watching their high schools suspend, expel, and arrest their most at-risk students for inappropriate behavior, he was frustrated, confused, and in search of alternatives. To address the challenge of keeping kids actively engaged in school, he recommends the federally funded program Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), which provides school resource officers (SROs) who are certified police officers and provide law enforcement and law-related teaching and counseling in public high schools. The program has improved safety and strengthened relationships with the local police department.