‘Softening’ school resource officers: the extension of police presence in schools in an era of Black Lives Matter, school shootings, and rising inequality

The Retention of Educators of Color Amidst Institutionalized Racism

“…We see examples of these cultural expectations–and the related blame for low achievement placed on students of color–in disproportionalities in student discipline (Brown & Di Tillio, 2013; Gregory et al, 2011; Morris, 2016; Skiba et al, 2002), special education identification (Ahram et al, 2011; Sullivan, 2011), and student assignment to gifted education courses (Grissom & Redding, 2016; Mansfield, 2015). Increased policing in schools (Nolan, 2011; Turner & Beneke, 2020) and the relationship between students of color with disabilities and the school-to-prison pipeline (Annamma, 2017; Annamma et al, 2014) underscore these expectations and exacerbate disproportionalities.…”

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

“…Other studies have also found that the SRO adoption process has largely ignored critical perspectives and the research evidence, focusing instead on pursuing local stakeholders’ agenda for expanding police presence into schools. In fact, one school district’s adoption of SROs was grounded in the idea that adding SROs was an anti-racist policy that would support the needs of students they viewed as troubled (Turner & Beneke, 2020). This is particularly striking given that some of the major concerns expressed about having SROs in this district were grounded in concerns about racist policing.…”

“…First is the concern about violence, either from outsiders coming into the school (Madfis, 2016) or from students themselves (Kafka, 2011). Second, the coalescing of like-minded agencies or individuals who were in favor of SROs (Koon, 2020; Turner & Beneke, 2020) paved the way for the adoption of SROs, often with the justification that they would provide solutions to the very problems that critics attributed to SROs. This coalescing of actors occurred at the expense of perspectives critical of SROs (Koon, 2020; Nolan, 2015; Turner & Beneke, 2020).…”

A is for Apple, B is for Bulletproof: The racialized fortification of schools

“…Racialized structures in the education system include the dominant conceptions of what is a "safe" school and patterns of funding in districts serving higher versus lower proportions of students of color. As previously noted, schools with higher proportions of students of color, typically situated in underserved districts, allocate more funding for SROs; they frequently apply the framing that the SRO investment will increase safety for students and educators (Turner & Beneke, 2020). These racialized structures matter in the design and implementation of school safety policy, as Black and Brown students are more likely to interact with police officers in schools rather than counselors (Blad, 2019).…”

“…In particular, policymakers, reformers, and educators draw on their power to push fortification toward their desired direction. While creating budgets, policymakers and administrators in certain contexts use their power to allocate funds towards metal detectors and SROs (Turner & Beneke, 2020); this upholds the militarization logic. In other contexts, however, they use their power to allocate funds for teacher trainings on creating responsive classrooms and schools, hiring counselors, and listen and respond to A IS FOR APPLE 27 community voices; this elevates the transformative logic.…”