Safety for Whom? Understanding Black Youth Experiences With School-Based Law Enforcement

• In Event: Developing Critical Consciousness in Turbulent Times: Challenges and Possibilities for Academic Success for Black Youth

Abstract

Today, 30,000 police officers are stationed in schools nationwide. With school shooting tragedies, many policymakers have rallied around safety and supported the influx of school based law enforcement (SBLE) in K-12 schools. Although SBLE could provide an atmosphere of security, it has created a hostile environment for many Black students. Using Black Critical Theory along with antiblackness and Afro Pessimism as conceptual frameworks, this qualitative study aims to understand Black students’ experiences with SBLE while in high school. From interviews with Black youth, three typologies of students (academically oriented, socially involved, and police experienced) emerged. Each had different perspectives and experiences with SBLE. Study findings could inform school safety practices that center the needs of Black youth.

Author

• Chetachukwu Uchenna Agwoeme, University of Pittsburgh