Using data from the 2017-18 and 2020-21 Civil Rights Data Collection, we document dis-parities in exposure to disciplinary staff across US high schools and geographic levels. Black and Hispanic students are exposed to 1.1 and 0.8 more disciplinary personnel than White students, respectively, which is equivalent to roughly twice the total average…

Purpose: The overall purpose of this journal-ready dissertation was to determine sworn police officer presence, activity, and types of weapons carried and policies that govern sworn police officers by school level. In the first study, the degree to which differences were present in sworn police officer presence (i.e., while students are arriving…

School safety is a wicked problem due to shifting needs and available information, the diverse actors affected and involved, fluctuating budgetary demands and ramifications, and relations to broader social and political issues. School safety challenges encompass a range of factors, including threats of violence and fears related to school…

In this brief, Research for Action examines the prevalence of school policing in Pennsylvania schools. While data on police presence is limited, this brief is able to examine: (1) race/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in school police staffing and spending; (2) race/ethnic disparities in referrals to law enforcement and school-based arrests by…

This is the executive summary for the report, "Is California Doing Enough to Close the School Discipline Gap?" In California, a combination of statewide and local efforts has been implemented to reduce the use of punitive suspensions in public K-12 schools. Current state data trends reflect these efforts, showing that far fewer students…

This research provides a unique seven-year trend analysis indicating that, while California has seen a decline in the use of suspensions in schools prior to the pandemic, the pace of the decline has slowed and large racial disparities in suspension rates remain. The research supports renewed advocacy efforts to eliminate schools' use of security…

This report provides nationally representative data on public school safety and discipline for the 2013-14 school year. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) previously collected data on this topic in the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS), which was last conducted in the 2009-10 school year (Neiman 2011). This report presents…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference between the total number of education code violations and the security personnel assigned by the school district. This study also proposed to examine factors such as socio-economic level of the district, the size of the district, and its location. Due to the increase in violence in…

School resource officers (SROs) are police officers responsible for the daily task of keeping schools safe. The extent to which this goal is achieved depends in part on how SROs identify, assess, and respond to student threats of violence. This task is complicated by the lack of knowledge regarding the most effective ways of handling a threat so…

High schools throughout the United States experience problems with violence, drugs, and crime. School administrators have responded with policies and strategies designed to prevent school violence such as zero tolerance approaches, partnerships with law enforcement agencies, security camera installations, and hiring additional security personnel…

This case study is designed for preservice school administrators enrolled in principalship and school law courses in educational administration. It describes an incident in which a school's crisis management and communication protocol were challenged. One day, through a series of unanticipated events, an assistant principal is engulfed in a test…

After a $7 million arson fire destroyed part of a Virginia Beach high school, about 1,200 students were temporarily relocated to a refurbished former mini-mall, and a 16-month recovery project was initiated. The new design improved library and art facilities. School officials have since learned to fight fire with simple precautions, such as…

This report discusses the Security Education Employment Program (SEEP), an employment and training program for high school students that matches students with opportunities in private security. It outlines the seven objectives established for the three-city test--job placements, exposure to the security profession, enhanced job skills, development…

A challenge for teachers and administrators has been to develop security policies that will effectively reduce violence and improve school climate. This paper describes students' reactions to security measures implemented at a Chicago high school that served a low-socioeconomic-status neighborhood comprised predominantly of African-American and…

In an ethnographic reflection on 10 years experience working in the high schools of inner-city New York, issues of school safety, discipline, and violence are explored. The central proposition is that the mentality that relies on paramilitary security measures and technological devices, such as metal detectors, to achieve safe schools is only an…