As the security of high schools all across the US have been subject to a trajectory of violence and danger, many schools have responded with increased security measures. Many have begun requiring students and staff to wear ID badges, assigning school resource officers (SROsor police officers), and in some extreme cases, even performing metal detector tests on the student body. Proponents of these security measures argue that they keep students safe from potential threats. While this may be true, it’s also necessary to address the potential harms of increased security. 

To start, increased school security has been known to be counterintuitive: in many cases they create a tenser environment at schools. Problematically, the shift in environment has been associated with lower academic performance, increased rates of student absences, and lower graduation rates . Despite the severity of these issues being relatively small, the effects are significantly magnified at schools that use metal detectors, as well as schools with a larger population of low income students. In addition to creating tension, school security can also strain school budgets, which can compound the effects listed above. According to estimates from the Urban Institute, schools have been spending more and more money on security, with American schools spending more than 14.5 billion dollars on both SROs and security guards.  In fact, the amount that schools spend on security has surpassed the amount spent on school counselors, nurses, and social workers, respectively.

The problem: money is being spent on security when issues of students’ mental health and well being are going unaddressed. 

The lack of funding towards anything except security has become increasingly problematic. Currently, low pay has become  one of the main factors that is fueling a potentially catastrophic teacher shortage, which has increased class sizes across the nation. Lack of funding has also led to the physical  deterioration of schools. Both increased class sizes and decreased physical conditions lowered attendance rates and academic academic performance. America’s schools are currently struggling with chronic absenteeism, and student academic performance is hitting new lows. All of this is wreaking havoc on the public school system, and these negative effects could soon spiral out of control.

Efforts to address school security have now become counterintuitive: it has begun to take resources away from what children need to keep more than just themselves safe, but their futures safe. 

Increased school security has also increased rates of student suspension and arrest: a school having police guards increases the likelihood of students being arrested by a factor of 2.6. The detrimental effect goes beyond merely the arrest:student suspensions and arrests have disastrous effects on the futures of students . Student suspensions deprive students of instruction time, and many schools do not allow students to make up work and material missed because of suspension. As a result, students fall behind and their grades drop, which can often force them to repeat a grade, and ultimately increase the likelihood that they’ll just drop out of school altogether.. Being suspended also decreases student trust in their school, which also increases  the likelihood of dropping out. All of this has created what is known as the “school to prison pipeline,” in which students are pushed out of the classroom and into the criminal system. Unfortunately, many employers refuse to hire people with arrests on their records, with this driving many with them back into crime, creating re-offenders. If a student’s arrest stays on their record, the arrest can haunt them for life.

However, school security is not all negative when it can be applied in the right way. Increased security can be essential during emergency situations and student fights, meaning that completely phasing it out would be impractical. However, there are some ways that the negative effects of school security can be minimized that still allow schools to benefit from increased security. . School funding  could be increased through higher  taxes, particularly on the wealthy, or by transferring money from other sectors — such as defense or foreign aid to the education sector — providing enough money for both school security and the educational problems mentioned above. Schools could also create programs that build connections between SROs/security guards and students, such as after school activities or having SROs/security guards educate students on safety issues, ultimately reducing any tension that may be caused by their presence. Further,  suspensions and arrests could be used only  as measures of a  last resort.  If a student was suspended, schools  should facilitate programs that make it easier for students to keep up with work during suspensions. Student arrests, unless of blatant crimes, could also be considered before  appearing on a student’s record.  Governments could also work to decrease the need for increased school security by investing in mental health treatment and by implementing gun control measures that would hopefully decrease the rate of school shootings at schools. 

By taking these steps, the negative effects of increased school security could be put to rest, allowing more students to academically prosper and reach their full potential while staying safe.

In a world where even schools, a place that’s supposed to protect the futures of this nation’s children, are being threatened, it is clear that more collaborative and effective action needs to be taken.   

‍

Sources (MLA):

Anzalone, Charles. “Study Finds Tight School Security Can Have Unintended, Negative Consequences.” University at Buffalo, 19 Nov. 2015, www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/11/037.html.

Finn, Jeremy D. “Misbehavior, Suspensions, and Security Measures in High ...” Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 2014, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1188491.pdf. 

Flannery, Mary Ellen. “Class Sizes: A Growing Issue among Educators.” NEA , 14 June 2023, www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/class-sizes-growing-issue-among-educators. 

Flannery, Mary Ellen. “The School-to-Prison Pipeline: Time to Shut It Down.” NEA, 5 Jan. 2015, www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/school-prison-pipeline-time-shut-it-down.  

Knight, David S. “Schools Have Put Their Money on Security Officers. Is That Smart? (Opinion).” Education Week, Education Week, 11 Aug. 2022, www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-schools-have-put-their-money-on-security-officers-is-that-smart/2022/08. 

Lieberman, Mark, and Caitlynn Peetz. “After Teachers, America’s Schools Spend More on Security Guards than Any Other Role.” Education Week, Education Week, 25 Sept. 2023, www.edweek.org/leadership/after-teachers-americas-schools-spend-more-on-security-guards-than-any-other-role/2023/09#:~:text=America’s%20schools%20collectively%20spend%20more,Institute%2C%20a%20nonprofit%20think%20tank. 

Lieberman, Mark. “America’s School Buildings Are Crumbling, and It’s a ‘National Security Issue.’” Education Week, Education Week, 29 Mar. 2023, www.edweek.org/leadership/americas-school-buildings-are-crumbling-and-its-a-national-security-issue/2023/03. 

Perna, Mark C. “No More Teachers: The Epic Crisis Facing Education in 2024.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 8 May 2024, www.forbes.com/sites/markcperna/2024/01/03/no-more-teachers-the-epic-crisis-facing-education-in-2024/. 

“School Security Measures and Their Impact on Students.” School Security Measures and Their Impact on Students, National Association of School Psychologists, www.nasponline.org/Documents/Research%20and%20Policy/Research%20Center/School_Security_Measures_Impact.pdf. Accessed 15 June 2024. 

Tanner-Smith, Emily  E., and Benjamin W. Fisher. “Visible School Security Measures and Student Academic Performance, Attendance, and Postsecondary Aspirations.” Vanderbilt University, files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED556165.pdf. Accessed 15 June 2024. 

“The Consequences of Suspension and What Schools Can Do Instead.” Edmentum, 17 Nov. 2023, www.edmentum.com/articles/consequences-of-suspension/#:~:text=Students%20lose%20valuable%20instruction%20and,to%20drop%20as%20a%20result. 

‍