Policing Our Schools

Last month, 12-year-old Alexa Gonzalez used an erasable marker to scribble on her desk. “I love my friends Abby and Faith,” she wrote, along with, “Lex was here. 2/1/10,” punctuated with a happy face. But neither her Spanish teacher nor the principal at Alexa’s Queens, New York, middle school were amused. They called school security—New York City police officers—who arrested and handcuffed Alexa, and walked her across the street to their precinct, according to the New York Daily News [2].

A similar overreaction seems to have occurred last January at Roberto Clemente Middle School in Germantown, Maryland. A 13-year-old girl sat quietly while her classmates stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance. The second day the student refused to participate, the teacher called in two school police officers who escorted the student to the counselor’s office. By all reports, the girl was not threatening, uncooperative or disruptive in any way. When contacted by the girl’s mother, an assistant principal insisted that the girl apologize to the teacher for her “defiance.” She did—twice. But she shouldn’t have been forced to. According to the school district’s own handbook—as well as Maryland state law and the U.S. Bill of Rights—students have the right not to participate in “Patriotic Exercises,” including the Pledge of Allegiance. The American Civil Liberties Union represented the girl, and reportedly the teacher is being required to apologize [3]to [3] [3]her [3]. (One can only hope he doesn’t teach civics or U.S. history.)

Why would any school call in the police to escort a non-violent teen to the office? Because in the last ten years, schools across the country have increasingly introduced police and security officers into their hallways, many in response to fears of gang activity and school violence.

Certainly, there are schools where a heightened police presence might be the only way to maintain a safe learning environment. For instance, South Philadelphia High School in Philadelphia has witnessed spasms of racial violence this year [4]. However, crime statistics have long shown that schools remain among the safest places in the United States. New York schools alone employ nearly 5,000 safety officers, under the command of the NYPD. “We are arresting [youth] at younger and younger ages [in cases] that used to be covered with a trip to the principal's office, not sending children to jail,” Emma Jordan-Simpson told CNN. Jordan-Simpson serves as executive director of the Children's Defense Fund.

The presence of an intrusive security force should receive intense scrutiny from students, parents, teachers, and administrators. Does such a security force change the nature of school discipline? Are teachers and administrators turning to these officers to help them enforce control, even for non-violent and otherwise routine student mischief? Does the contentious—sometimes abusive—history of the police toward people of color poison a school’s climate when cops are posted in the doorways?

These are direct concerns not just for students but for school administrators as well. “Principals complain that they are unable to control the conduct of School Safety Agents,” reports the NYCLU, “and are limited in their ability to strike the right balance between school security and a supportive educational environment.”

Clearly, it is wrong to allow police or security officers to take a leading role in managing school discipline. In whatever form it takes, school security should serve the educational mission and remain securely under the control of the principal and staff. Yes, acting as the disciplinarian is difficult and stressful. But the police should remain a tool that educators use very sparingly, not become a crutch that they can’t live without.