Schools that Removed Police Officers Bring Them Back

Schools that Removed Police Officers Bring Them Back

Millions of students in the United States go to schools with police officers present. The officers are known as School Resource Officers, or SROs. They are meant to keep schools and students safe.

Police in schools date back to the late 1940s. But school shootings, including the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, led to more policing of students.

Between 2006 and 2018, the number of schools with at least one SRO increased from 42 percent to 61 percent, says the organization the Center for Public Integrity. But with more officers, students have become more likely to have interactions with law enforcement, which could result in arrest and possible criminal charges. Federal funding is available for schools that want to hire police.

But following the 2020 murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cities and states started to rethink their ideas of policing - and policing in schools.

Many school districts around the country either defunded or totally removed SRO programs.

Los Angeles, the nation's second-largest school district, cut its SRO budget by one-third. Chicago, the third-largest, cut it by more than half. Other districts fully¹ ended their agreements with police departments.

But now some districts that removed officers are considering bringing them back.

Montgomery County, Maryland, largely removed funding for SROs in 2020. But this year, district officials said there was an increase in "serious incidents" of crimes including fights and robberies in schools. In January, a shooting took place at one of the county's high schools.

In April, the county voted to bring police officers back to schools. The county says the officers will go through more training than they did before the SRO funding was cut.

Unequal policing

Opponents of SRO programs argue that law enforcement is not the answer to safety incidents at schools that are linked to mental health problems. They argue that schools should instead put their funding towards more mental health resources for students, like hiring more social workers and mental health experts.

Studies have also shown that non-white students are much more likely to be referred to police than white students. An investigation² by the Center for Public Integrity found that Black students are two times more likely to be referred to the police than white students. Students with disabilities are also two times more likely to be referred to law enforcement.

Not all referrals, or citations⁴, become arrests with criminal charges. But a citation³ may mean a student must appear before a judge or other law enforcement officials.

The effects of interactions with police can be serious. A 2020 study from Tulane University found that Black students "who experience contact with the police by eighth grade have eleven times greater odds⁵ of being arrested when they are 20 years old" than white students.

Research has also shown that officers present in school increases the likelihood children will interact with police. A University of Florida study found that "student behavior that would have otherwise occurred and been handled by school personnel is more likely to come to the attention of law enforcement."

In Montgomery County, Black students made up half of all arrests in schools in 2020. But they make up just one-fifth of the student population.

Amir Whitaker is with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California. He told the Los Angeles Times last year that "the fight to remove school police is part of the fight for racial justice."

Some districts have found that removing officers from schools may lead to more safety problems.

Alexandria, Virginia decided⁶ to remove SROs from city schools in July 2021. The city also voted to redirect funding for SROs to mental health services. But after several incidents involving students and guns, the city changed its decision just three months later. This year, the city council voted to fund the SRO program through 2023.

Words in This Story

district - n. an area established by a government for official government business

funding - n. an amount of money that is used for a special purpose

hire - v. to give work or a job to in exchange for wages or a salary

refer - v. to send to a particular person or place for treatment, help, advice, etc.

odds - n. the possibility that something will happen

occur - v. to happen

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

3 citation   

n.引用，引证，引用文；传票

参考例句：

• He had to sign the proposition for the citation.他只好在受奖申请书上签了字。
• The court could issue a citation and fine Ms. Robbins.法庭可能会发传票，对罗宾斯女士处以罚款。

4 citations   

n.引用( citation的名词复数 )；引证；引文；表扬

参考例句：

• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Some dictionary writers use citations to show what words mean. 有些辞典的编纂者用引文作例证以解释词义。 来自辞典例句

5 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。