Memoranda of Understanding Between Texas School Districts and Police Agencies: A Critical Policy Analysis

• In Event: Dissecting Policy Discourses That Contribute to Educational (In)Equalities

Abstract

Through the lens of critical policy analysis, we examine the memoranda of understanding (MOU) that govern the relationships between 7 large Texas public school districts and their police agency partners that provide on campus officers. The documents vary in depth of description, in the stated purposes of the school policing programs, and in their approach to officers’ duties. The decision making power, as described in these documents, almost exclusively resides with the police. Attention to the language and messaging in these contractual documents help make explicit some of the assumptions that underpin this growing segment of the school workforce.

Authors

• Ann Marie Cotman, Texas State University - San Marcos

• Bryan J. Duarte, Purdue University