The New York Times recently spotlighted an increasingly common phenomenon in schools that use the services of school resources officers, or SROs. Truancy, student scuffles, and cursing at teachers, which are typically handled by a school administrator, now are met with graver consequences when witnessed by SROs. These nonviolent behaviors have led to student arrests and misdemeanor charges that send them into criminal court.
The use of SROs as part of a school safety plan has become more prominent in recent weeks, following the White House’s call for an increase of police officers based in schools, as well as a National Rifle Association task force’s recommendation of police officers or armed guards in all schools. This is not a new idea, however; schools have paid local police to serve as SROs since the early 1990s.
Civil rights groups report that thousands of students are arrested or issued criminal citations at schools across the country every year. Many appear in court for minor offenses, particularly students who are black, Hispanic, or have disabilities.
The state that has one of the highest incidents of criminal charges is Texas, where SROs typically write over 100,000 misdemeanor tickets each year. The NAACP filed a complaint on behalf of black students in a Texas school district with the federal Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights in February of this year. The complaint alleges that black students in the school district receive criminal misdemeanor citations four times more often than white students do. The school district is currently revising its guidelines for citations while it awaits the reaction of federal officials.
One Houston high school has made efforts to seek out SROs who were skilled at working with students and building their trust. It has hired former police officers who were products of rough neighborhoods themselves. With fewer arrests and tickets, the campus now enforces discipline with a principal’s court and student juries.
