JPRC

What Do We Know About the Effects of School-Based Law Enforcement on School Safety?

School Safety

What Do We Know About the Effects of School-Based Law Enforcement on School Safety?

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Public school districts and police departments in the United States often collaborate to address school-based violence and other threats to the safety and well-being of students, teachers, and staff.

As a result of these partnerships, law enforcement officers have become an increasingly common presence in schools around the country, even at the elementary school level. But what does research tell us about the impact of school-based law enforcement on school safety outcomes?

This brief presents a definition of school-based law enforcement and summarizes some of the relevant research about its effects on students and schools.

The authors found little rigorous evaluative research on the effects of having a police presence in schools, but they see promise in future studies that have potential to inform school and district leaders, as well as policymakers.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools Campus Shield Evaluation. Final Report

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The Campus Shield program was designed to allow Miami-Dade (FL) County Public Schools to proactively respond to student safety and mental health incidents using multiple data sources and tips, thereby improving school climate. The vision for this data fusion center was it would pull together data streams from various school district sources, local jurisdictions, and state and federal sources to identify potential threats to school safety, including criminal gang activities, weapon-related violence, and mental health issues among students.

WestEd researchers served as the external evaluators on a U.S. National Institute of Justice grant in 2015 to examine the quality of the information generated, how it is being used to improve school safety, and how it impacts student behavioral outcomes. Several challenges were encountered during implementation that limited the project’s original goals.

Restorative Justice in U.S. Schools: Summary Findings from Interviews with Experts

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Current methods of responding to student offenses in schools are often not effective, and may even be backfiring. Many experts support the use of restorative justice (RJ), an approach to justice that focuses on repairing harm and restoring relationships, rather than simply punishing the perpetrator.

This 2015 report, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, describes the promise of RJ in improving relationships and the overall school environment, and summarizes the findings from interviews with over 40 nationally recognized RJ leaders.

Learning From the Experiences of Texas Schools Implementing Behavioral Threat Assessment Programs

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The use of behavioral threat assessment (BTA) as a strategy for school safety is becoming more prevalent. However, there is limited information regarding its implementation and the necessary elements for a successful BTA program.

This report presents key findings from a study funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), which examined the implementation of BTA in high schools throughout Texas. Texas is one of several states that have recently made BTA mandatory in K–12 schools. Additionally, this report provides an overview of BTA models implemented in schools and a review of existing literature on the implementation and outcomes of BTA.

Key Findings

  • Most BTA teams are multidisciplinary.
  • Central reporting mechanisms are in place, but students often report potential threats to teachers.
  • Threat assessments are conducted in line with key components of the BTA model.
  • It is difficult to find time for BTA team meetings.
  • Process tracking and data management are often decentralized, but software can be prohibitively expensive.
  • It can be difficult to connect students with community-based resources.
  • School and community resources play a significant role in facilitating BTA team success.
  • A positive school culture contributes to BTA team success.
  • Consistent communication is key to success.

Providing Behavioral Threat Assessment Training and Implementation Support

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We are committed to helping schools, districts, and state departments of education address school violence. In collaboration with Navigate360, we are partnering on ten U.S. Department of Justice (via the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance) school safety grants under the STOP School Violence Program. The ten grants are led by the following education entities:

  • California: Poway Unified School District
  • Maine: The Maine School Safety Center
  • Michigan: Lenawee County Office of Emergency Management
  • Nevada: Nevada Department of Education
  • New York: Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Ulster County
  • Ohio: Education Service Center of Northeast Ohio
  • Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Intermediate Unit, Chester County
  • Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State School Safety Center
  • South Carolina: Pickens County
  • Virginia: Loudoun County Public Schools

In each site, JPRC staff are working to enhance the development and implementation of behavioral threat assessment teams by providing accessible threat assessment training, providing suicide awareness and prevention training, implementing related technology-enabled support, and developing practical implementation resources for schools. We are also partnering with local agencies to identify opportunities for improvement and implement their programs with fidelity. Through this collective effort, we will advance work being done in schools to prevent violent acts and cultivate supportive, inclusive, and safe school environments.

Systematic Review of Research on Effects of School Policing

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One common policy in response to concerns about school safety is to regularly employ police in school buildings. Although many schools have had some regular presence of police in their buildings, the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 led to more scrutiny of law enforcement across the board. As a result, several districts across the nation began to reconsider the use of police in schools.

However, as schools began returning to full-time, in-person teaching, concerns about the safety of students and staff led several districts to reverse their decision and bring officers back to campus. Clearly, more research is needed to guide this important policy decision.

To respond to this research need, the Justice and Prevention Research Center, in collaboration with Professor Ben Fisher of Florida State University, conducted a systematic review of research on the effects of school policing on safety, perceptions, and academic outcomes. This brief summarizes results from this synthesis of 32 evaluations.