Virtually everyone agrees that students should be safe at schools, but opinions vary on how to accomplish that goal. Some think the idea of “hardening schools” — or adding more security measures through building modifications and armed employees — is the answer. Others worry about the impact these sorts of measures have on students amid everyday interactions.
Following the Covenant School shooting, the Metro Nashville Police Department is deploying more school resource officers throughout the Metro Nashville Public Schools district. The increased police presence has some people, including disability advocates, concerned about the potential impacts — particularly when it comes to officers who have not received proper training.
National data shows that students with disabilities and students of color are disproportionately impacted by SROs. While there isn’t much local data on the matter, a 2019 American Civil Liberties Union study analyzing Department of Education data found that students with disabilities were arrested at a rate nearly three times higher (29 per 10,000) than those who weren’t disabled. Disabled students are also more likely to be disciplined. This occurs because students with behavioral disabilities may struggle to communicate their feelings, which can manifest in actions considered unruly or disorderly — like yelling or hitting. In 2017, a 10-year-old boy with autism was arrested in a school in Florida for kicking and scratching an employee six months earlier.
“The disability community is concerned that the proliferation of folks who are not trained to work with students with behavior needs, who are also not bound by the protection these students are due, could lead to a lot of bad outcomes,” says Jeff Strand, coordinator of government and external affairs for the Tennessee Disability Coalition. “Whether that be exposure to the juvenile justice system, exclusionary discipline practices like suspension, removal — things that are really going to exacerbate behavior issues rather than solve them.”
Strand acknowledges that folks within the disability community have different opinions on the matter.
Incidents involving SROs in schools can arise for a range of different reasons, from actual crimes to behavioral problems that may be manifestations of unmet needs. While the police department and school district maintain that SROs are not to be involved with student discipline, the line between disruptive behavior and criminal activity can be blurry.
Strand says that in these situations young students are “exponentially more vulnerable than older kids.” A traumatic experience like being restrained or arrested can damage developmental progress, especially for younger students who aren’t yet diagnosed or whose educators are still experimenting with individualized education plans.
Strand also acknowledges that he had positive experiences with an SRO when he was a special education teacher. “Our concern isn’t meant to vilify school resource officers,” says Strand. “Those are public servants who have made the choice that they want to work with kids and help them. We just know … that the statistics bear out that, in the broadest sense, [SROs] often don’t work for kids. And so some of them are great, some of them work really well. But kind of leaving that up to chance, especially with vulnerable populations, just does not seem worth the risk.”
Jolene Sharp is the chief public information officer for the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities. She’s also the parent of school-age students with disabilities, and shares her personal opinion on the matter.
“I have conflicting feelings,” says Sharp of SROs. “I understand wanting to have dedicated security personnel. … But I also understand the ways that it changes the educational environment. … I feel like we tend, sometimes after a crisis, to have a little bit of a knee-jerk reaction to make everyone feel safer, but I think we have to be so careful about understanding all of the costs and benefits of the actions that we take, and to make sure that the right trainings are in place.”
Nashville SROs receive de-escalation and disability-oriented training from the National Association of School Resource Officers and through MNPS. Officers who voluntarily patrol elementary schools do not. There are also state resources that families can lean on. The Tennessee Technical Assistance Network provides school employees and families with training and support to address behavioral needs — families can request assistance on the TTAN website. Additionally, Tennessee START Assessment & Stabilization Teams provide resources for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, ranging from remote crisis response to generalized education. The Tennessee Council on Developmental Disabilities’ behavior support checklist can help identify unmet needs, and MNPS has a range of programs and partners to address students’ needs inside and outside of the classroom.
“The goal is for people around the student or around any person with a disability to be able to [identify] underlying needs, so that we don’t end up in a cycle of escalation,” says Sharp.
