By Olivia Marcano A School Resource Officer is a sworn law enforcement officer who works in a school setting with the power to arrest, investigate and document people and events in an effort to create a safer school environment for students and administrators. Beginning in the 1950’s, the SRO programs purpose was to revitalize the police departments image in the eyes of the youth and has shifted from a mentorship/education program to crime prevention and law enforcement one. The idea was to prevent drug/gun violence from impacting schools and was driven by the notion that our urban youth is more incorrigible, criminal, and more violent. While I've heard students claim to feel safer and more secure with a policed campus, a study by Texas State University and the FBI found that none of the school shootings were ended by armed officers returning fire. Rather, these shootings typically ended when the shooter was restrained by unarmed staff or when the shooter simply decided to stop. Since school shootings are a driving force behind SRO presence in schools, then this data certainly calls into question the effectiveness of this approach. And according to the ACLU of Washington, “The youth crime is on the decline — and has been, since the mid-nineties — and graduation rates are up, the myth that our children are criminal and violent persists.” The data shows that the increase in arrests is directly correlated to the presence of SROs in schools. Additionally, “The arrest rates for schools with SROs were 3.5 times the rate of those without SRO’s, and in some states the arrest rates are as much as eight times the rate of schools without.” Moreover, these arrests are a major contributor to the school-to-prison pipeline, which is a systemic process that pushes juveniles out of school and into the juvenile justice system. Once in this system, it is more likely that youth will be pushed out of school permanently, fail to graduate, be re-arrested, and end up in juvenile or adult prisons. The traumatic impact these interactions have on youth can lead to depression, anxiety, PTSD, and other mental and physical health issues. I feel SROs have the potential to keep students and staff safe, but they are also steered by a false belief that our urban youth needs to be patrolled constantly to contain violence and crime. SROs focal point seems to be maintaining order between students which is an SSOs role, as opposed to defending from outer threats. This is concerning. According to my Principal Blocker, “Family Group was created by the U of R when it took over at East. The purpose of family group is to ‘create small groups of people to learn to interact with each other. Also, to inform close relationships with teachers so that if students needed support, they would have someone they can go to and be comfortable with.” The importance of family group is to learn to respect all people, to interact with people you might not normally connect with, and to create a small family of support within the school setting. People could make family group better by giving it a chance instead of always wanting to be around the same people. Also, to make family group better express your unique self and ways with others. People are often reluctant to be with others they do not know. And as a result, they are missing out on something that could be wonderful. Blocker says, “I have found the kids that have been in my family group over the years are the ones I have been closest with.” I agree. Family group is preparing us for the real world. In life you have to be social and it’s good to meet new people and learn from them. Now I have a clear vision on family group and the impact it has. My advice for scholars at East is to give it a try. Don’t look down on it, actually take it seriously and socialize because all it’s going to do is make you a better person.
1 Comment
Lynn Girven
1/31/2023 04:23:51 pm
I agree and the SROs are a tremendous resource. Family group is designed to foster connections in whatever we can.
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