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At Lithia Springs High School, Chris Billingslea is a familiar face for all students at the school. Billingslea has served as a school resource officer (SRO) for just over one year. In that role, his mission has always been to help the students he sees in any way possible.
“I’d say the best part of my job is getting to interact with students. Just getting to know them and their days and seeing how I can make their day better or smoother is what I enjoy,” said Billingslea. “Since getting into this, I’ve learned that students have a lot of stuff going on inside and outside of school, so just trying to help them with that is rewarding.”
Billingslea is a Douglasville native, having graduated from Lithia Springs High School before going on to attend college at Georgia State University. There, he played basketball before continuing his career professionally in the United States, China and South Korea.
Following his basketball career, Billingslea began working in law enforcement. He first spent nine years with the Atlanta Police Department before coming home to work as a school resource officer in Douglas County.
“I worked in downtown Atlanta for nine years, and then I saw a spot opening up in Douglas County where I’m from, so it all just kind of came together for me,” said Billingslea.
As an SRO, Billingslea’s first priority is school safety, as he believes that the optimal learning environment is one in which all students, teachers and staff are able to learn without interruption.
“My top priority is keeping the students and teachers safe. Beyond that, I want to let students know that law enforcement isn’t all bad,” said Billingslea. “I want them to have fun and encourage them to have respect for each other and their teachers, and I want them to see that you can do it all.”
But beyond that, he also strives to help students become more well rounded and share lessons that have helped him along the way as both an athlete and in his law enforcement career.
“College really taught me how to multitask and keep my priorities straight, because they weren’t always straight,” Billingslea said. “I saw that once you don’t have your priorities straight, your grades can slip. I want them to understand that you can still have fun, but there’s a time and place for it.”
Along with this, Billingslea added that he especially enjoys speaking with student-athletes and helping them understand what it takes to excel in the classroom and on the playing field.
“First, I want them to know how much work it takes to play at the collegiate level. I don’t think a lot of students understand just how much it takes to play at the collegiate level and be on top of your academics,” said Billingslea. “Sometimes you have to sacrifice the fun stuff you want to do. Not that you can’t do those things, but if you want to be a good athlete and have good grades, then you’re going to have to put more time into it.”
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