FISA grantee, ACLU of PA publishes: Researching the Impact of School Policing

FISA Foundation has been funding the ACLU of PA, in conjunction with the Black Girls Equity Alliance, to address the disproportionate negative consequences of school policing on Black girls and Black youth with disabilities.
ACLU published this report: cover of ACLU Research on School Policing reportResearch on School Policing by Aaron Kupchik, July 2020
It begins:
Following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and countless others, and calls for defunding the police that arose in their wake, the issue of police in schools has received new attention. Several jurisdictions, including Oakland, CA, Denver, CO, and others have decided to remove police from schools, and many others have considered it. Too often, policy debates are based on individual experiences, anecdotes, or presumptions, rather than on rigorous evidence. This is unfortunate and unnecessary, since there is a growing body of research on the impact of school policing and School Resource Officers (SROs).*
And it goes on to address the following questions:

  • Does the presence of police reduce student crime?
  • Do school police prevent mass shootings?
  • What are the costs of increased policing in schools?
  • How do police change the culture of schools?

The research summary was authored by Aaron Kupchick, Professor of Sociology, University of Delaware.

Back to News

,