Dive Brief:
- News outlet The 74 recently published an investigation showing four out of the 10 largest public school districts in the U.S. have more security officers than counselors.
- New York City, the nation's alrgest district, has six security officers and three counselors per 1,000 students; Chicago has four officers and two counselors per 1,000 students; Miami-Dade County, has three times more security staff than counselors, and Houston has 1.16 officers and .78 counselors per 1,000 students.
- Research shows having officers in schools contributes to the school-to-prison pipeline, in which minor disciplinary infractions lead to harsh punitive consequences and increase the odds of students later encountering the criminal justice system; it’s been proven that students of color and those with disabilities are disproportionately targeted.
Dive Insight:
Earlier estimates put the projected number of School Resource Officers currently employed in U.S. schools at 14,000. Studies show students are five times more likely to be arrested for disorderly conduct when SROs are present. SROs operate differently across states and districts, as far as instructions and mandates, final say on discipline and specific training for working with students. Training is essential for officers in schools, because students and teenagers behave and make decisions in ways that are different from adults.
Although Houston's numbers of officers is one of the highest on a district-wide level, there are pockets of optimisim within the city's school system. Furr High School, which used to suspend 30 students a day for dress code and other minor infractions, re-trained school police to act as mentors instead of disciplinarians and saw a significant drop in punishment.
Sometimes, eliminating SROs can prevent students from being funneled down the school-to-prison pipeline. Districts constantly weigh the benefits versus the disadvantages of eliminating security staff, keeping in mind the potentially serious and lifelong consequences the school-to-prison pipeline has on students.