An Analysis of "First-Wave" Police-Free Schools' District Policy Resolutions: Applying an Equity-Oriented Framework

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Frames and Drivers of Discipline and School Policing Reform (Table 3)

Abstract

Two years ago, nearly 40 districts passed “police-free schools” resolutions that limited, or ended, law enforcement presence in schools. In this study, we apply an equity-oriented policy framework to analyze the technical, normative and political dimensions of 11 “police-free schools” resolutions. Findings show that the technical policy mechanisms used to remove police varied across districts. Most often districts used contract termination. Normative statements revealed districts’ beliefs about anti-racism. Resolutions’ political dimensions challenged existing norms of power related to police as trustworthy mediators of safety. This analysis points to shifts that were—or were not—present in decisions to remove police from schools, which can aid in understanding how these policies are received, their effectiveness, and the likelihood that they stay in place.

Authors

• Kate Somerville, University of Colorado - Boulder
  Presenting Author

• Kathryn E. Wiley, Howard University
  Presenting Author

• Christine Zabala-Eisshofer, University of Oklahoma
  Presenting Author