A school resource officer in Tennessee is being praised for helping to comfort a student with autism on the first day of school.

HAMBLEN COUNTY, Tennessee - A school resource officer in Tennessee is being praised for helping to comfort a student with autism on the first day of school.

The Hamblen County Department of Education shared a photo of Officer Julio Ortiz hugging Kadin Templin at West View Middle School on Monday. The boy's mother says he has had 24 surgeries in his lifetime, and transitioning to his new school has been difficult.

"This makes me so happy to see an officer taking time to be there to a child with special needs," his mother, Christina Swartz, said.

Swartz reached out to Officer Ortiz to say thank you. Officer Ortiz said he was "so excited and honored to be called his friend."