Dive Brief:
- The Center for Public Integrity reports that more than 27,000 out of around 30,000 arrests of students between 2005 and 2014 by San Bernardino Unified School District police were for minor misdemeanor offenses, 36% of which were for allegations of "disturbing the peace."
- Critics say that this kind of militarization of schools feeds the school-to-prison pipeline, and contributes to more students dropping out and subsequently ending up in the criminal justice system.
- Other California counties, like San Francisco and Los Angeles, have strict policies in place governing how in-school police are used, regulating their authority to arrest students and placing limits on officer interrogations, arrests, and tickets.
Dive Insight:
In U.S. schools, police presence has ramped up since the 1999 Columbine High School shootings in Colorado. Yet San Bernardino County is now arresting students at a rate that's 10 times the national average, and well over California's rate. With the terrorism-related mass shooting in San Bernardino earlier this month, it is unlikely that the police presence in county schools will be reduced anytime soon.
California arrest statistics and national education data examined by the Center for Public Integrity showed that "the bulk of the minors arrested or referred to school police represent some of the most academically vulnerable demographics in the state: low-income Latino and black kids, as well as kids with disabilities, in disproportionate numbers." The stats call attention back to the phenomenon of the school-to-prison pipeline, as both discipline and achievement gaps result from such zero-tolerance punishments. Their release also comes at a time when California is reported to be leading the country when it comes to dismantling that pipeline.