.png)
 |
| Diana Lalata Class of 2017 |
“Our school needs metal detectors,” one of my
students said to another in a side conversation in the 11th grade English
Language Arts class that I began shadowing earlier this semester. I probed the
student further on her idea, asking why she thought such measures were
necessary at her high school, to which she hesitated, then responded, “Because
I just don’t feel safe here, even with all these cops around.”
This
conversation would be one of many that I would overhear in the classroom and
the hallways, where “School Resource Officers” (SROs) lurked on every corner,
looking for students on their worst behavior. The school culture
stressed the idea of “security” as defined as guarding against violence, drugs,
and other potential dangers. There was little room for the more positive and
personal interpretation of the word, which instead might define “security” as
feeling secure with one’s own unique identity and mental/physical/emotional
health.
In
an article written in the U.S. News and World Report, “School Resource
Officers: Safety Priority or Part of the Problem?” school security is discussed
on the basis that the increased placement of law enforcement officers within
public schools can create an adverse effect than was intended by civil rights
groups advocating for safer schools. Instead of encouraging a “safe place”
atmosphere for students, some schools with heightened security (those with
metal detectors, strict dress codes, and several School Resource Officers), including
the one of which I am a student observer, experience feelings of uneasiness,
anxiety, or even distrust of one another and of one’s school.
Seeing
firsthand that the concern for one’s safety may inhibit a student’s desire to
learn brings forth the question of how some schools define “security.” In my
experience at a suburban, predominantly white and upper-class high school in
Liberty, Missouri, a student who used inappropriate language with a teacher was
asked to see a counselor to check on his mental health. As an observer at a
“Priority School” in west Louisville, Kentucky, a student who committed the
same offense was removed from the classroom by a School Resource Officer and
taken into In-School Suspension for two days.
What
is missing from some schools that emphasize the deterrence of student threats
is the space to learn and the resources for support in order to promote a sense
of security within oneself. Although it may be argued that School Resource
Officers are helpful in taking on responsibilities that teachers usually do
not, such as protecting from off-campus crime or emergency preparedness
planning, their authority in schools should be limited and all SROs should be
trained to stray away from harshly punishing students for slight misbehavior.
Ultimately, I believe students would benefit
more from a greater availability of support resources such as college and
career coaches, school counselors, tutors, and more. If students felt more
secure about themselves as individuals, they may feel more secure in their
environments and would not need to ask for added security measures, such as
metal detectors.
Diana Lalata, of Louisville, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar studying English, political science, Spanish and social change.