A Puzzling Resource: Examining the Presence of Law Enforcement Officers, Suspension, and Student Racial Composition

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: School Discipline

Abstract

In this study I investigate the intersections of race and exclusionary discipline in schools with the presence of sworn officers. Through constructing a longitudinal data set from the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), I examine I examine the association between the percentage of Black students in K-12 public schools and the presence of sworn law enforcement officers on campus. I also investigate whether there is a relationship between the presence of sworn law enforcement officers and the suspension rates of students in public schools. The findings from my study have policy implications for the role of sworn law enforcement officers on school campuses and their implications for students’ educational experiences, particularly for students of color.

Author

• Jeremy Kidd Prim, University of California - Davis