As communities across the nation evaluate their policing institutions amidst the “defund the police” movement, many school districts are examining their use of “school resource officers” (SROs), i.e., the use of sworn police officers in schools. Police presence in schools was once viewed as a critical resource in reducing violence in public schools, but recently the conversation has shifted as some call for complete elimination of SRO programs. Critics of SRO programs believe they do more harm than good, citing racial and ethnic disproportionality in school arrests and criminalization of adolescent behavior. At present, jurisdictions from all regions of the country have opted to eliminate their SRO programs, such as Oakland, Portland, Minneapolis, Rochester (NY), Seattle, and Denver. Others, such as Los Angeles, have voted to reduce budget allotments to school police departments.
Proponents of eliminating SRO programs believe in replacing school police with counselors, social workers, and other community-based providers to de-escalate and reduce disturbances while relying on police to respond during emergencies. This decision has sparked controversy though, and a number of jurisdictions remain divided on the issue (e.g., Memphis, the District of Columbia, and San Francisco, to name a few). Regarding California in particular, students have had a state constitutional right to safe schools since 1982, a right widely ignored and rarely even mentioned in conversations regarding the elimination of SRO programs. Students’ rights to safety in schools are even more relevant currently in light of increases in unexpected mass shooting incidents occurring at schools, and many believe that elimination of SRO programs could decrease school safety.
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