School Resource Officers (SROs), sworn police stationed in schools, are now commonplace. But does their presence actually increase school safety? Dispute the widespread use of SROs, many believe that the answer is “no,” and that SROs spend much of their time and energy responding to minor disciplinary issues. We seek to test this hypothesis empirically. Through an inter-district study, focused especially on districts that have seen success without SROs, we will examine how how different actors—school administrators, teachers, parents—conceptualize “safety,” and the alternatives that exist for securing that ideal.

Learn more about our JEDI award to study this question.

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