The devastating 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida ignited a nationwide debate about the best strategies for ensuring student safety in schools.
While many advocates on the left pushed for stricter gun control measures, those on the right often supported increasing the presence of armed police officers in schools as a way to prevent future tragedies.
A recent study conducted by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University has contributed new insights to this debate. The research, which examined the impact of police officers and School Resource Officers (SROs) on campus from 2014 to 2018, found that their presence did not reduce the incidence of school shootings. Instead, it was linked to a rise in student suspensions, expulsions, and arrests.
According to the study, the introduction of SROs into schools correlated with a higher frequency of disciplinary actions. Notably, the study indicated that Black students were disproportionately affected, with the disciplinary actions against them being more severe compared to their white peers.
The study did uncover a minor benefit: schools with SROs saw a slight decrease in non-gun-related violence. However, another study from Florida revealed a troubling trend. After SROs became mandatory in the state in 2018, there was an increase in school arrests, a reversal of a previously declining trend. Additionally, there was a noticeable rise in incidents where students were physically restrained.
This increase in confrontations has been highlighted by several alarming videos showing students being forcefully restrained or subjected to physical violence by police officers. For example, in 2019, a Chicago teenager was subjected to violent restraint, while a video from Camden, Arkansas showed an officer placing a student in a chokehold.
The Annenberg study also noted that the presence of SROs was associated with more frequent reports of behavioral incidents to law enforcement, particularly for minor infractions, and was notably prevalent among middle school students.
The study suggests that the presence of police in schools tends to escalate the number of arrests, with minor disciplinary issues escalating into criminal charges. Although SROs are generally intended to handle serious issues rather than minor infractions, their presence often leads to greater law enforcement involvement in school discipline.
Researchers have expressed concern that this trend contributes to the “school-to-prison pipeline,” a concept highlighted by the ACLU. This pipeline refers to the growing trend of students being funneled into the juvenile justice system for behavior that could have been addressed within the school environment.
The consequences of this trend can be severe, as students who end up in juvenile detention face significant challenges in returning to school and obtaining a diploma, increasing their likelihood of continued involvement in the criminal justice system.