SRO is a student resource officer (as defined by our schools), however an SRO is actually the police officer who stands armed in the hallways of your schools.
Most schools these days employ an SRO with the intent of ensuring the safety of their students, but reality doesn’t always match the fantasy. SROs are generally the unwanted police officers who are sent to schools if something has happened to them while on the force or they have been put on a suspension. Schools who receive these officers are putting their students in an unfair position because of the past of their assigned officer, who could have racial bias, economic bias, and other harmful biases. In schools, black students are already four times more likely to be suspended than a white student, so by allowing an officer with bias into a school filled with students who identify as something other than cis, white and straight, these students are more likely to be targeted by their SROs and criminalized at a young age.
Students who have been accused by SROs have been denied the reading of their Miranda rights, and have been punished and charged with battery for simply dropping cake on the floor and not directly picking it up. Petty arrests and convictions feed the the school to prison pipeline, the pipeline continues to gain more and more passengers, because instead of targeted students receiving help and counseling, they have marks put on their record which affects their future in higher education.
In addition to targeting, SROs are armed. A fact which many people are unaware of. SROs bring guns into schools every day, allowing them to resort to a fatal action if they deem necessary, which potentially could lead to the injury or death of a student. With all the school shootings occurring in America, the last thing we should be doing is bringing guns into school, and fighting fire with fire.
We should be encouraging a safe and supportive learning environment, where all students feel they have equal opportunities, and classrooms and hallways without bias. Many people, including the organized movement Counselors Not Cops is striving towards a law enforcement free learning environment. In order to end the school to prison pipeline, we need to provide students with resources where they can receive help and not be treated as criminals
For more information on SROs, click here.
