Study Finds School Police Arrest Minority and Special Needs Students at Disproportionately High Rates

A study by the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals some alarming disparities in arrest rates at schools that are served by school police officers. The GAO study found that arrest rates were nearly double those of schools that have school police officers compared to schools that do not. Another troubling aspect of the study is that minority and special needs students have a much higher arrest rate than white students.

Is your child facing discipline from their school or school district for an alleged incident of misconduct? As zero-tolerance policies and other harsh disciplinary remedies become more common, students can face severe punishment for a variety of infractions. Unfortunately, these punishments can negatively affect your child’s academic progress. You don’t have to let that happen. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online today.

School Policing is a Controversial Issue

It’s an unfortunate reality that incidents of on-campus violence at the K-12 level are occurring more frequently than in previous generations; a grim phenomenon has left many school districts and administrators searching for answers. Some believe that an on-campus police presence will help maintain order, which explains why school police are becoming a more common sight in America’s K-12 institutions. However, that idea does have its detractors.

Many people feel that most of the conduct or disciplinary violations that occur inside K-12 schools do not rise to the level of criminal offenses. The concern is that school police, being law enforcement officers at their core, will reflexively lean toward solving student disciplinary issues with arrests and charges when another less punitive measure might be more appropriate.

Other concerns revolve around civil rights issues and implicit bias. The GAO study showed that the arrest rate for African Americans and members of the Indigenous community was two to three times higher than that of white students in the schools surveyed. It also revealed that special needs students who are protected by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were arrested roughly twice as often as their classmates without disabilities.

GAO Report Conclusions

One of the main takeaways from the GAO report is that the same issues that complicate relationships between police and communities on the street would also be present inside K-12 institutions where school police are involved with student discipline. The report stated, “Our analysis and Education’s own guidance recognize that students can experience even greater adverse consequences as their race, gender, and disability statuses overlap.”

How to Fight Back Against Unfair Student Discipline

School police are not the only people who can make mistakes during the student discipline process. Administrators and school district officials can also get it wrong or dish out punishment disproportionate to the offense. If your child is subject to student discipline, you can take steps to ensure the process is fair and that your child’s rights are respected. Call the LLF National Law Firm Student Defense Team at 888-535-3686 or contact us online today.