School Resource (Police) Officers in Schools

Resource Officers ◽

Disorderly Conduct ◽

Having police officers in schools (school resource officers – SROs) is controversial with a growing debate as their presence has proliferated nationally over the past 20 years. A majority of high schools and middle schools today have police on campus providing a variety of services, though primarily law enforcement. While the intent is to provide improved school safety and protection to students, unexpectedly this has not been the outcome for many school campuses when reviewing most criminal activity and school shootings. While the presence of SROs is complicated, the unintended impact has harmed more students than anticipated by criminalizing misbehaviors and disorderly conduct, making the learning environment less conducive by negatively changing school climates and disproportionately impacting many already at-risk young people.

Kindergarten Cop: A Case Study of How a Coalition Between School Districts and Law Enforcement Led to School Resource Officers in Elementary Schools

Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis ◽

10.3102/0162373721989290 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 016237372198929

Author(s):

Samantha Viano ◽

F. Chris Curran ◽

Benjamin W. Fisher

Keyword(s):

Elementary Schools ◽

Law Enforcement ◽

School Districts ◽

Students With Disabilities ◽

School Safety ◽

Relationship Building ◽

Resource Officers ◽

Sheriff's Department ◽

Adopting school resource officers (SROs) is a popular response to school shootings. Using the advocacy coalition and multiple streams frameworks, we explore how school districts in one county formed a coalition with the Sheriff’s Department, adopting SROs in elementary schools following the Sandy Hook shooting. We describe how this coalition was bound together by shared beliefs on school safety and the goodness of law enforcement. The implementation activities of SROs related to the beliefs of the coalition, focusing on security and relationship building. The beliefs were not uniformly understood by SROs—many interpreted their role to include student discipline and managing behavior of students with disabilities. The findings show the utility of comparing policy adoption processes with implementation activities.

Including School Resource Officers in school-based crisis intervention: Strengthening student support

School Psychology International ◽

10.1177/0143034311400828 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 32 (2) ◽

pp. 210-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

Richard K. James ◽

Joan Logan ◽

Scott A. Davis

Keyword(s):

Crisis Intervention ◽

Police Officers ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Emotional Needs ◽

Resource Officers ◽

Crisis Prevention ◽

School Based ◽

Support Students ◽

This article discusses the importance of trained police officers, School Resource Officers (SROs), participating in school-based crisis response efforts. These efforts, mostly preventative in nature, mitigate and de-escalate trauma for students exposed to a wide variety of challenging situations. Scenarios are presented with dialogue between students and SRO, offering insights into how SROs support students’ emotional needs. The article demonstrates how trained SROs’ service complements school-based crisis prevention and intervention efforts.

Examining the Role of School Resource Officers on School Safety and Crisis Response Teams

Journal of School Violence ◽

10.1080/15388220.2016.1263797 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 139-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Katie Eklund ◽

Lauren Meyer ◽

Kris Bosworth

Keyword(s):

School Safety ◽

Crisis Response ◽

Resource Officers ◽

The Legal Implications of School Resource Officers in Public Schools

NASSP Bulletin ◽

10.1177/019263650108562110 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 85 (621) ◽

pp. 76-80 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chuck Maranzano

Keyword(s):

Public Schools ◽

Police Officers ◽

Positive Change ◽

Student Rights ◽

Legal Principles ◽

Resource Officers ◽

School Settings ◽

Legal Implications ◽

The movement to include police officers in education settings may be complicated by unresolved legal principles. Describes issues regarding student rights and urges action to effect positive change in school settings.