Students' perspectives and utilization of school resource officers after experiences with school discipline or law enforcement

Abstract

School resource officer (SRO) programs were expanded to improve school safety, but limited research has assessed factors impacting students' perspectives on and intended utilization of SROs. We analyzed the relationships of students' experiences with law enforcement and school discipline with views and intended use of SROs. We used multilevel logistic regression models based on the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey to estimate odds ratios of negative attitudes toward SROs. Among all students, 94.4% agreed having an SRO at school was a good idea, 62.1% said they would feel comfortable going to their SRO with a problem, and 68.1% that they would tell their SRO if they saw something unsafe. Among students with recent suspensions, a parent/guardian who was ever in prison, or attending alternative learning centers, there was still widespread support for SROs, albeit lower support for SROs. Furthermore, only about half of students with recent suspensions or impacted by parental incarceration stated they would utilize SROs. These findings highlight discrepancies in students' attitudes toward versus utilization of SROs, especially for those disproportionately impacted by law enforcement or school discipline. This is relevant, as having trusted adults to turn to with problems has been identified as a cornerstone of school safety.