O.k, so I jumped the gun. As it turns out, the SRO in this case isn’t for compiling records of the Scottish. C’mon, I’m an old Highlander; it was an honest mistake! Apparently, an SRO is a Student Resource Officer. Fine. Duly noted. Not one to let the efforts of a tartan-sash-search-and-rescue go to waste, I decided to do a little Scottish style reconnaissance: I poured myself a Benromach, wrapped myself in the sash and hunkered down on the couch for a proper Googling of this other SRO.
Mr. Booker and Police Chief Bowers are proposing that a School Resource Officer be assigned to PHS, Millennium and PMS. Initially, I thought why not? Anything for safety and let’s add them to Havens, Beach & Wildwood, as well. However, it seems the issue is far more complicated:
- SROs are not security guards. They are armed police officers. Their job is to police classrooms and hallways. According to a segment on NPR, “Despite a high level of consensus among researchers and criminal justice experts that SROs should undergo extensive and specialized training, few of the 19,000 SROs in the United States are, in fact trained. Incredibly, there are no national standards – and in many cases no state standards – for SRO training, which means there is little consistency in how they are prepared to work in schools.”
-After the deadly Columbine High School shooting, the number of SROs in schools began to grow, but according to Marc Shindler, head of the Justice Policy Institute, there is no evidence to show that adding SROs results in safer schools. "In fact, the data really shows otherwise — that this is largely a failed approach in devoting a significant amount of resources but not getting the outcome in school safety that we are all looking for."
-Research shows that there can also be unintended consequences for students and especially students of color. They included higher rates of suspension and expulsions and in many cases arrests, which can set kids on a path to the criminal justice system for very minor offenses. Many experts suggest that restorative practices have far better outcomes for both racial and ethnic minorities and the community as a whole.
-Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had an experienced, armed sheriff’s deputy on duty at the time of the horrible shooting; he never discharged his weapon. The video footage shows that the officer remained outside in a defensive position during the shooting.
It’s no surprise to me that we would consider a police officer on our school campuses. It has a way of making us feel safer, but just because we feel a certain thing doesn’t necessarily make it true. Sadly, the tragic massacres that have occurred in schools have highlighted the limits of school security measures rather than the benefits.
I wish I knew more, but after just an hour or two into my Google search, the mothball smell from the sash was making me nauseous and the Benromach threw me for a loop, so I had to call it quits for the evening, but based on the little that I’ve learned so far, I hope we’ll insist on researching other options before we give the green light to an idea that seems based in fear, but little else.
