A recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa found that Black students and students with disabilities are more likely to be arrested or referred to law enforcement in Iowa schools with school resource officers. The report analyzed data from the 2021-2022 school year, gathered from 87 Iowa school districts and 67 law enforcement agencies.

Disproportionate Arrest Rates

According to the report, Black students make up 7% of the school population in Iowa but account for 13% of referrals and 21% of arrests made by school resource officers. Students with disabilities are also overrepresented, making up 13% of the state’s student population but accounting for 27% of referrals and 26% of arrests.

The ACLU of Iowa argues that the presence of school resource officers can cause harm for students by rerouting school discipline issues to the criminal justice system. The report states that many instances where school resource officers were involved, such as a student caught using a vape product or being ‘disrespectful’ in class, could be resolved by regular school discipline actions.

Call for Change

The report calls for Iowa schools to end their school resource officer programs or set new standards for training and oversight. The ACLU of Iowa also recommends establishing clear guidelines for when an issue should be referred to a school resource officer instead of being handled by school staff.

Original reporting: KCCI Des Moines — read the source article.