“Responses of more than 1,700 SROs from all 50 states indicate that when encountering negative, potentially criminal student behaviors, respondents seek to avoid the justice system as their preferred option.”
A study from ACLU Nebraska found its schools’ SRO programs vary greatly and most don’t properly track students’ arrests or law enforcement referrals.
Supporters of the law believe ending “willful defiance” suspensions will help disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline.
Prior to the pandemic, there were about 5,000 safety agents assigned to NYC public schools. As of last month, that number dropped to 3,900.
The school liaison officers would be available for emergency and non-emergency calls but would not be inside schools during the day.
A recent survey of staff, parents, students and community members found 82% believe SROs are important or very important in keeping schools safe.
Data from the last three years shows the majority of student arrests were made by security personnel and not school resource officers.
This non-punitive bullying prevention program has shown to reduce the frequency of bullying in 88 percent of cases.