Race, Police, and School Safety: A Case Study Exploring the Impact of Police Presence on School Safety and Black Youth

• In Event: Equity-Related Insights From Studies of School Community, Climate, and Culture

Abstract

Since the 1990s, police presence in schools has grown exponentially despite inconclusive evidence to show that police make schools safer, and ample evidence that school policing is associated with negative outcomes for Black students. Guided by an intersectional, ecological framework for defining school safety for Black students, this case study analyzes qualitative and quantitative data for one of the largest school police districts in the U.S. This case study explores the questions: 1) What factors threaten the safety of students in school? Are those factors best addressed by police? 2) How do Black students describe interactions with school police? 3) What recommendations do Black students offer for increasing school safety?

Authors

• Elianny C. Edwards, University of California - Los Angeles

• Earl J. Edwards, University of California - Los Angeles

• Terry Allen, University of California - Los Angeles