Children increasingly interact with police on school grounds. Most research on police in schools focuses on school safety. However, police also question children at school as witnesses, suspects, and victims during a criminal investigation. The current study explores police policies about interviewing and interrogating children at school. We…

In a world full of divided opinions and experiences with law enforcement, school districts are struggling to decide whether to employ a School Resource Officer (SRO). There is history of the integration of police in schools in response to a growing need for safety in schools related, in part, to the rise of school shootings. The tension…

School resource officer (SRO) programs were expanded to improve school safety, but limited research has assessed factors impacting students' perspectives on and intended utilization of SROs. We analyzed the relationships of students' experiences with law enforcement and school discipline with views and intended use of SROs. We used multilevel…

As state legislatures increasingly turn their gaze to education and school policy, one intervention that is particularly concerning is the proposal to arm civilian school personnel. Under the guise of school safety, these policies suggest that allowing teachers, who often have little if any training, to carry weapons on school grounds may deter a…

This mixed-methods study investigates the role of school resource officers (SROs) in Kentucky and describes their interactions with students. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive understanding of how SROs interact with students and the implications of those interactions. The quantitative phase of the research involved a secondary analysis…

Given the disproportionate rates of youth with disabilities who experience exclusionary discipline in schools, it is important to consider the involvement of law enforcement officers in the discipline of these students and the students' right to an equitable education. One recent case of concern was Wilson v. City of Southlake, which clarified…

Positive programming from Law Enforcement organizations with K-12 students should be a priority. It can be challenging, but it can help lead to future elements of success for the kids. This study investigated law enforcement leaders' opinions, goals, and objectives in their approaches to positive programming. The participants were 12 law…

More than half of U.S. schools have no police presence on their campuses. Jonathan E. Collins proposes that all school buildings be free of police. School resource officers (SROs), he writes, do more harm than good. An alternate policy that would remove SROs from schools involves the framework of the community policing model. This model focuses on…

Collaborative projects designed to generate research evidence involve knowledge exchange (KE) which hinges on the expectations and practices within the collaborating organisations. Existing literature about academic-police collaborations, and why they break down, has largely focused on different knowledge agendas, research timeframes and…

There are currently 23 states in the United States that have laws considered as some form of school disturbance law. These do not include codes or laws specifying school discipline consequences such as suspension or expulsion. They vary widely in how broadly they can be applied and how broadly they define behaviors. Students are often not aware…

Exclusionary school discipline is one of the primary ways that schools address student behavior. Existing scholarship has focused on examining the implications of exclusionary school discipline for two sets of outcomes: academic achievement and future juvenile and criminal legal involvement. However, these two areas of scholarship are largely…

The social movement for #PoliceFreeSchools (and the adjacent campaign on college and university campuses called #PoliceFreeCampuses) welcomes an opportunity to reimagine school discipline and safety in contradistinction to current carceral forms. Scholars have moved away from notions of "school to prison pipeline" by demonstrating the…

Background: College campus police departments are providing law enforcement officers the authority to administer naloxone, the antidote to opioid overdose. This study explored the competence, concerns, and readiness among college campus-based law enforcement officers in Northern California to administer naloxone in case of an opioid overdose on…

As the infrastructure of police surveillance grows in public schools, communities must be prepared to safeguard the rights and freedoms of students and families. This report is designed to help youth justice advocates, youth leaders, educators, caregivers, and policymakers understand and challenge the impact of school surveillance, data…

This qualitative study explored essential characteristics attributed to highly effective School Resource Officers (SROs) as perceived by experienced Indiana high school principals. Through semi-structured interviews with five high school principals from Indiana, the study sought to identify key responsibilities, outcomes, proactive activities, and…