Oviedo officer named Florida's School Resource Officer of the Year

BY Emma Delamo  

An officer with the Oviedo Police Department received a special title acknowledging her work for Seminole County students.

Ashley Pierce has been a school resource officer at Lawton Chiles Middle School for 16 years. She works with her K9, Xander.

“He wants the kids to play with him. We have kids who walk around with treats,” she said.

This summer, Officer Pierce was named Florida School Resource Officer of the Year by the Florida Association of School Resource Officers (FASRO).

The award is given to an officer who makes a significant contribution to their community. She was selected from a pool of candidates across the state.

“It’s nice to feel appreciated, but I don’t do anything of this for the spotlight or for any attention. I do this because I enjoy being able to give back to our community and to be able to help others,” said Pierce.

Pierce manages the school’s food pantry and clothing donation closets. The shelves are stocked with breakfast, lunch, and dinner options for kids to take home.

“This is where I come when we get donations,” said Pierce, showing Spectrum News the pantry. “I’ll stock all the shelves and then I fill the backpacks for the students to take home every Friday.”

She says the pantry isn’t new, but it was never utilized until the holidays.

“At Thanksgiving, we saw a huge need for our community. So that’s when I stepped in and started working on getting donations and making sure that families were taken care of during Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Pierce.

Pierce also coordinates an Angel Tree program for the kids too. She’s thankful for everyone’s support each year to make the kid’s lists come true.

“I meet with the students and I have them write out a wishlist with three categories: something I want, something I need, something to read. They fill out what they want, and our kids have always been so reasonable and they’ll ask for maybe a new hoodie or a backpack,” she explained.

Pierce says she doesn’t do her job for the praise but is appreciative that her efforts are seen. She says it is fulfilling when the kids see her and say thanks, or write her thank-you cards.

“It made me realize I am making an impact; I am doing good for our community,” said Pierce.

https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2025/08/17/oviedo-sro-of-the-year