School Policing, Climate, and Safety: The Challenges for Local Policy Makers in Urban Districts

Abstract

Currently, there is a national level debate on security-based school safety policies and practices, particularly in relation to the presence of police in schools. Decisions about school safety are discussed at the district level by administrators and board of education members who may not be aware of the importance of utilizing local data to ensure these decisions are data driven and beneficial to all the stakeholders they represent in diverse, urban districts. Research on security, policing, and social-emotional and school climate-based strategies are discussed, as is research on district-level decision-makers (boards of education and administrators) and decision making. This paper provides local school stakeholders, policy makers, and school safety researchers with a framework for collaborative work to ensure that evidence-based violence prevention programming and local data drive district-level decision making about school safety.

Integrating Policy into School Safety Theory and Research

“…Given that schools are influenced by policies emanating from many different contextual levels, it is essential to examine policies on all levels, not only federal and state policies as it is often done today. Policy making at the school board and school level on issues of school safety have rarely been explored in empirical studies (Reynolds & Astor, 2018, in press; Reynolds et al, in press), even though school board deliberations and subsequent policies may be the core sources of intervention for many U.S. schools. This is likely due, in part, to the absence of policy in theoretical conceptual models.…”