Preventing school violence: assessing armed guardians, school policy, and context

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 631-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Crawford ◽  
Ronald Burns
Keyword(s):  
High Schools ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
School Violence ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
School Safety ◽  
School Characteristics ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Grade Levels

Purpose – Recent highly publicized acts of violence and shootings on campus have prompted numerous crime prevention suggestions including having an armed presence in the schools. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of protective measures, policies, and school/neighborhood characteristics on school violence. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this study were part of the School Survey on Crime and Safety collected in 2006. The dependent measures of school violence include reports of violence, threatened attack with a weapon, attack with weapon, and gun possession. The sample was divided into high schools and all other grades to consider differences in levels of school violence among grade levels in relation to various law enforcement security measures, school security measures, and school characteristics. Findings – Findings revealed mixed and often counterproductive results for law enforcement and school security efforts to control school violence. School characteristics, such as reports of bullying, location, and gang activity yielded numerous statistically significant findings. Policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided. Originality/value – This study differs from much of the previous literature, which typically examines student and administrator attitudes about victimization and crime prevention. The current study examines detailed information on the actual effects of school violence prevention efforts. Furthermore, this study moves beyond most other works (that typically focus on high schools) as it considers school safety approaches by different grade levels.

Reducing school violence

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 455-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Crawford ◽  
Ronald Burns
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Violence Prevention ◽  
School Violence ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Racial Composition ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Predominately White ◽  
School Violence Prevention

Purpose Recent highly publicized acts of violence and shootings on school campuses have prompted numerous crime prevention responses. The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of protective measures such as law enforcement, security policies, and school/neighborhood characteristics on school violence within the context of the racial composition of the school and grade level. Design/methodology/approach The data used in this study were part of the School Survey on Crime and Safety collected in 2006. The dependent measures of school violence include reports of serious violence, physical attacks/fights, gun or knife possession, and threats and attacks with a weapon. The sample was divided by racial composition of the school (predominately white, and predominately minority schools) and by grade level (high schools, and all other grades). A negative binomial regression was conducted due the count-based dependent variables. Findings Findings revealed that minority schools often face higher levels of reported violence and had a heavier law enforcement presence, which often had mixed or counterproductive results for reducing school violence. School characteristics, such as reports of bullying, location, gang activity, and security measures yielded numerous statistically significant results. Research limitations/implications Officials proposing school violence prevention efforts should strongly consider the importance of school and community characteristics, most notably grade level, and the unique context of a predominately white or minority school as there were different statistically significant results. Furthermore, officials should be cautious about relying on simple efforts such as more security personnel to address school violence. Violence and crime on school grounds should not be viewed as being isolated from violence and other forms of crime in the community. Policy recommendations and suggestions for future research are provided. Originality/value This study differs from much of the previous literature, which typically examines student and administrator attitudes about victimization and crime prevention. The current study examines detailed information on the effects of school violence prevention efforts and moves beyond most other works as it considers school safety approaches within the context of racial composition of the school and by different grade levels.

Race Differences in Youths’ Attitudes Toward Arming Teachers: Investigating the Role of Procedural Justice

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110466
Author(s):  
Faraneh Shamserad
Keyword(s):  
High School Students ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
School Violence ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Future Research ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
School Students ◽  
Racial Inequalities ◽  
Perceptions Of Fairness

Although school violence statistics indicate that schools are safe places, anxiety over school shootings continues to influence school safety reform to the extent that security measures in American public schools include the arming of schoolteachers. Furthermore, not only have youths’ perceptions of school security been relatively unexplored, existing research points to racial inequalities in the use of and the effects of school security practices. This study uses data from high school students across multiple school districts in a Midwestern county to examine how race and perceptions of fairness intersect to influence attitudes on arming teachers. The results suggest that, relative to White students, Black students are less supportive of arming teachers and anticipate greater decreases in safety if teachers are armed. In addition, perceptions of fairness mediate the effect of race on support and feelings of safety. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Law enforcement executive and principal perspectives on school safety measures

2015 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret M. Chrusciel ◽  
Scott Wolfe ◽  
J. Andrew Hansen ◽  
Jeff J Rojek ◽  
Robert Kaminski
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Public School ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
School Safety ◽  
School Principals ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public School Principals ◽  
Safety Issues

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the perspectives of law enforcement executives and public school principals regarding school resource officers (SROs), armed teachers, and armed school administrators in order to inform the policy discussion surrounding school safety issues. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes data collected from two surveys that were sent to law enforcement executives and public school principals in South Carolina. Respondents were asked about their experience with SROs and their perspectives on these officers’ ability to maintain school safety. Both groups of respondents were also asked about their attitudes regarding arming school employees. Findings – There is a large amount of support for SROs from both law enforcement executives and principals. However, in general, both groups of respondents do not believe armed administrators or armed teachers to be an effective school safety strategy. Originality/value – SROs have been the primary strategy adopted by schools to maintain safety, but in the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, public outcry and political debate has spawned a number of proposed alternatives. Among these alternative security measures has been the idea of arming school teachers and/or administrators. However, there appears to have been little effort to empirically consider the perspectives of those directly impacted by school safety policy decisions. In particular, a gap in the literature remains regarding the perceptions of police executives and school principals concerning school safety policies and how the attitudes of these key actors compare. Thus, the current study addresses this gap by exploring the perspectives of key school safety stakeholders.

Preventing School Violence and Advancing School Safety

2020 ◽  
pp. 137-162
Author(s):  
Dewey Cornell ◽  
Brittany Crowley
Keyword(s):  
School Violence ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Zero Tolerance ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Supportive Relationships ◽  
High Profile ◽  
Behavioral Expectations

Schools are one of the safest places for young people, but high-profile cases of school shootings have driven schools to engage in reactive practices such as expensive security measures and zero tolerance discipline that have had unintended negative effects. More proactive practices are needed to prevent violence, with particular attention to the commonplace types of aggression such as bullying and harassment that have serious consequences for students and can be the seedbeds for more severe violence. Overall, schools should place greater emphasis on multitiered prevention strategies that build a school climate characterized by high academic and behavioral expectations for students in the context of supportive relationships. Schools should also adopt threat assessment as a systematic approach to evaluating and helping troubled students. The overarching idea is that making schools safe and supportive environments that foster student well-being and achievement is vital for the prevention of violence.

Evaluating the Relationship Between Law Enforcement and School Security Measures and Violent Crime in Schools

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesley G. Jennings ◽  
David N. Khey ◽  
Jon Maskaly ◽  
Christopher M. Donner
Keyword(s):  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Violent Crime ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
The Relationship

School Security in the Post-Columbine Era: Trends, Consequences, and Future Directions

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanna King ◽  
Nicole L. Bracy
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
School Safety ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Threat Assessment ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Future Directions ◽  
Promising Alternative ◽  
The Impact

Harsh and reactionary school security measures, including policing, surveillance technology, and emergency preparedness strategies increased substantially in the two decades following the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. These strategies have limited empirical support for preventing violence in general and mass shootings, in particular. Instead, they have proven to be problematic, often doing more harm than good by criminalizing student misbehavior, contributing to negative school climate, and having psychological impacts on students’ perceptions of safety. In recent years, many schools have started to explore promising alternative approaches, including threat assessment, positive behavioral interventions, restorative practices, and improving relationships between students and adults. This article reviews the trends in school security from the 1990s through the present, drawing on national data from the U.S. Department of Education and scholarly research on school security. Our specific focus will be on the changes in school security that have been made to prevent or minimize the impact of potential school shooters. We also discuss the consequences of the school security boom and the future directions to ensure school safety.

School Safety, Security, and Discipline

Criminology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
School Safety ◽  
School Discipline ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Ample Evidence ◽  
School Officials

The safety of children and young adults in the hallways of schools across the United States remains a top concern among school officials, policymakers and politicians, students, parents, and the general public alike. Overall, crime and victimization rates in schools across the United States have dropped precipitously over the past few decades and remain near historic lows. And schools tend to be a safe haven for the majority of youth across the United States. At the same time, concern over school safety—and efforts to maintain school safety—have tended to increase during the same time frame. Strategies aimed at maintaining a safe school generally fit into two broad categories: school security measures and school discipline. School security measures refer to specific devices and personnel used within the school to reduce victimization and promote the well-being of the students, teachers, administrators, and visitors. Some common examples of school security measures include identification badges worn by school personnel and students, the use of metal detectors at school entrances, school-based police (called school resource officers, or SROs) or security guards, surveillance cameras, drug-sniffing dogs, and the use of a check-in system for school visitors. The use of these types of security measures is often aimed at protecting against external threats to the school, although studies have shown that security measures significantly impact students, teachers, and parents within the school as well. School discipline, on the other hand, refers to actions taken by school officials, and increasingly members of law enforcement, to control and manage student misbehavior within the school. These efforts often include the use of school exclusions such as in-school and out-of-school suspensions as well as school expulsions. Since the 1990s, there has been significant growth in both school discipline and school security efforts. Millions of students are suspended from school each year and schools have increasingly adopted school security measures in efforts to maintain school safety. Although studies on the efficacy of school safety efforts are somewhat mixed, research provides limited evidence that school security and discipline increase school safety. Research has, however, provided ample evidence that some school safety strategies are tied to a number of unintended consequences such as increased racial/ethnic gaps in discipline, increased criminal justice contact and school dropout, and negative longer-term outcomes. At the same time, there is growing evidence that certain types of security and disciplinary practices have potential to promote school safety.

Students and Perceived School Safety: The Impact of School Security Measures

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne E. Perumean-Chaney ◽  
Lindsay M. Sutton
Keyword(s):  
School Safety ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
The Impact

Structural school safety measures, SROs, and school-related delinquent behavior and perceptions of safety

2016 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez ◽  
Katelyn K. Jetelina ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
School Safety ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Safety ◽  
Resource Officers ◽  
Metal Detectors ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of school safety measures, including SROs and safety personnel, on school-related delinquency and perceived safety. Design/methodology/approach Specifically, a comprehensive search of the literature was performed to identify studies published between January 1, 1998 and July 1, 2016 that focussed on structural school safety measures such as metal detectors, cameras, closed circuit television systems, and access control measures and/or school resource officers in primary and secondary schools. Only studies that relied on randomized controlled trials and pre-test/post-test designs evaluating the impact of at least one school safety measure in reference to a control condition were eligible for inclusion. Findings The results of this exhaustive search revealed 32 unique study samples that met the inclusion criteria. Results from the studies suggest that implementation of more security measures may not be an effective policy. More safety measures often result in a decline of student-perceived safety. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. Originality/value Results from this meta-review can provide educational administrators, superintendents, and school safety policymakers with a synthesis of only the most rigorous and valid studies that evaluate the impact of school safety measures on both actual and perceived school-related delinquency and safety. This information will provide school safety decision makers with a state-of-the-art synthesis of how school safety measures impact school-related delinquency problems and safety, and which measures appear to be most effective for informing the allocation of scarce resources.

Analyzing Predictors of Bullying Victimization With Routine Activity and Social Bond Perspectives

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (18) ◽  
pp. 3807-3832 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hatice Cecen-Celik ◽  
Shelley Keith
Keyword(s):  
School Violence ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Social Consequences ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
Routine Activity ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
School Security ◽  
Security Measures ◽  
Crime Victimization

Bullying victimization in school settings is a serious problem in many countries including the United States. It has been associated with serious incidents of school violence as well as detrimental physical, psychological, emotional, and social consequences for its victims. Given its consequences, it is crucial to understand who is more likely to be targeted for bullying victimization. This study examines whether a number of important factors such as gender, physical and interactionist school security measures, and involvement in extracurricular activities influence an individual’s risk of bullying victimization from social bond and routine activity perspectives. The study employs the 2011 School Crime Supplement of the National Crime Victimization Survey to investigate the causes of bullying victimization. The results show that gender, interactionist school security measures, and extracurricular activities affect an individual’s likelihood of bullying victimization.

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