School Resource Officers
Forward Albemarle
School safety is essential. We need to listen to teachers and students and provide them with the necessary resources to ensure all children feel safe and all teachers feel like they can effectively teach in our classrooms. We also need to refrain from making staffing decisions based on emotion rather than evidence.
Empirical evidence clearly shows that armed School Resource Officers (SROs) are ineffective at reducing gun-related violence in schools. Equally important, multiple studies conclude that the presence of SROs results in increased and unwarranted disparities in suspensions, expulsions, police referrals, and arrests among Black students, students of color, students from economically disadvantaged homes, and students with disabilities.
We need to carefully examine the data ACPS is using to suggest that the community wants SROs in schools and ask lots of questions. How many people completed the survey? What questions were asked? Who completed the survey? Are the survey respondents representative of the entire student population? And in particular, how will students from communities that have a challenging relationship with law enforcement be impacted by an increased police presence?
Is there empirical evidence to show that SROs are more effective at reducing disruptive or violent behaviors than safety coaches? What is the budgetary impact and could other, non-law-enforcement personnel–such as special educators, social workers, interventionists, etc.–provide teachers with the support needed to create classroom environments where learning can take place safely? Why is this change being considered now? Has ACPS closed the discipline gap?
We know that schools don’t have their basic staffing needs met, nor do they have the mental health support needed to help every student thrive. We also know that, in too many households, guns are too easily accessible. Instead of actively problem-solving this issue, politicians would rather score points and gain power by pandering to the gun lobby or stoking fear over books and bathrooms than actually come together and work with communities to create safe schools and safe neighborhoods.
School safety is a real issue, and disruptive behavior, not to mention violence, not only impacts how kids feel about being at school, but their learning too. And as we were tragically reminded again last week, there is a very real gun crisis affecting our schools. Every child should have the freedom to learn, express themselves, and pursue their dreams at school without the fear of gun violence.
Instead of reversing the previous decision to remove SROs from our schools, ACPS should invest resources in mental health services, professional development, building positive and trusting relationships with families, and creating clear safety plans for each school.
https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai21-476.pdf
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/