School Security Measures: Perceptions of Severity

• In Event: Safety and Security in Schools

Abstract

Recent research has shown that security measures and policing strategies in K-12 schools can have far reaching negative consequences on students and families. Security strategies such as mandatory drug tests, metal detectors at school entrances, and police officers in school hallways appear to be more invasive than other measures like dress codes or emergency buttons in classrooms. Yet, individual perceptions of these measures are relatively unknown and as a result, criminologists have almost no foundation in which to understand the degree to which the public perceives the severity of school security strategies. This provides an important methodological limitation in assessing the impact of security measures in schools. To address this gap, we use an online convenience sample to survey 300 individuals across the U.S, and ask them to rank security measures in terms of their severity. Using results of the survey, we (1) provide a methodological guideline on how to compare particular measures to others in terms of their relative severity, and (2) through an exploratory factor analysis, we offer a methodological technique in which to rate the overall security environment of the school. We discuss the policy implications these findings have for the school security movement.

Authors

• Adrienne Freng, University of Wyoming

• Thomas Mowen, University of Wyoming