One of the biggest problems that is facing American public schools is the widespread racism and discriminatory disciplinary practices. From school police officers to dress code infractions, the public school system is resembling a prison – creating a school to prison nexus. It is essential that all students feel safe in schools, that is the first thing that needs to characterize a quality education environment. It is foundational in order to provide students with the education they deserve. With the recent exposure of disproportionate violence and deaths of members of communities of color by the police, we must enact change in our public school system to enable schools to support and restore students.  

The research behind school policing can be inconclusive, but most often points towards school-based police officers actually having a negative effect on the school and students (Police in Pennsylvania Schools, 2019). To start, there are two distinct categories of officers in schools: school police officers, which are employed by a school district, and school resource officers, which are employed by a law enforcement agency and assigned to schools (Police in Pennsylvania Schools, 2019). They are deployed in schools to keep them safe from outsiders and prevent harm from insiders. There is no evidence that officers in schools reduce crime rates or prevent school shootings (Police in Pennsylvania Schools, 2019). There is evidence, however, that school officers can make schools less inclusive and, thus, increase the potential for students to be disengaged and lash out (Police in Pennsylvania Schools, 2019). This is because officers are trained to keep the environment safe and not trained in counseling or getting to know students on a more personal level. School arrests and discipline are also disproportionately affecting Black, Latinx, and disabled students (Police in Pennsylvania Schools, 2019). While this problem is nation-wide and leads to a large opportunity gap between BIPOC students and students of color, it is most concentrated in urban settings. 

Source: https://www.weareteachers.com/end-school-suspensions/