Disparities in School Safety Approaches: Implications for Gun Violence Prevention, Child Health, and Student Learning Outcomes

• In Event: What Is School Safety, and Who Gets to Have It? An Interdisciplinary Conversation

Abstract

Background. Gun violence is currently the leading cause of death among children and teens in the U.S. and the prevalence of gun violence specifically in K-12 schools has increased since 2015 (Goldstick, et al., 2022). Black children are disproportionately exposed to gun violence; and recent data have confirmed that these racial disparities have worsened since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (Martin, et al., 2022). Research has also clearly documented that direct and indirect exposure to gun violence during childhood is an adverse childhood experience (Bancalari, et al., 2022; Rajan, et al., 2019), with significant implications for poor child health and learning outcomes in the short- and long-term.

In response to the persistence of this specific kind of violence, K-12 schools across the U.S. have widely implemented numerous safety tactics and policies as a way to secure their buildings and prepare their communities for the possibility of gunfire on school grounds. Yet, the effectiveness of most of these security tactics and policies (e.g. metal detectors, armed teachers, among many others) at deterring school shootings remains scientifically untested. Moreover, some research suggests that many of these visible security measures do not improve school safety or academic achievement and may increase student anxiety, while exacerbating disparities in school discipline outcomes (Duarte, et al., 2023).Indeed, these types of “hardening” efforts have historically been more likely to occur in schools that are primarily non-White and in urban areas of lower socioeconomic status, even after accounting for differences in neighborhood violent crime rates.

Theoretical Framework. The work presented here is conceptually grounded in the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model (Lewallen, et al., 2015), a widely circulating approach in the field of school health that embraces a comprehensive definition of “health” and recognizes the synergy among multiple child health issues and the surrounding environments. Specifically, this work recognizes that 1) inequities in academic outcomes are tied to inequities in health and 2) a school environment conducive to learning must be both physically and emotionally safe.

Methods. Drawing on the results of a systematic literature review utilizing PRISMA guidelines, this presentation will discuss the impact of existing school safety interventions on children’s health and well-being and the corresponding implications for equitably improving the health and learning outcomes for all children across disparate school communities.

Result Summary and Significance. K-12 schools across the U.S. appear to differentially employ security interventions and disciplinary action based on sociodemographic factors unrelated to school safety. Arguably, this criminalizes students for minor misbehaviors, possibly provoking pathways into the criminal justice system. And some patterns of school security usage are associated with increased exposure to crime and violence at school. School securitization is part of a broader, misunderstood policy trend to merely manage, rather than repair, consequences of disinvestment, economic austerity, and unprecedented social inequality in poor communities, particularly communities of color.

Author

• Sonali Rajan, Teachers College, Columbia University