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Some districts that stopped using school resource officers in recent years are now reversing course

Oct 17, 2023
Schools with an SRO present report about 30% fewer violent offenses than those that don’t. But it’s not for free.
Students enter George Washington High School in Denver, where a school resource officer was  reinstated earlier this year.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

One school district’s attempt to keep students safe

Jun 28, 2022
“We have to do this,” says Dr. Scott Anzalone, former president of the local school board in Logan, Ohio.
"We've done everything possible to make sure security is tight without making kids more traumatized," says Dr. Scott Anazlone, former president of the Logan-Hocking School District in Ohio.
Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images

After Uvalde, schools focus on the need for more security

Jun 15, 2022
School security is an estimated $3 billion industry, including things like training, armed officers, and video cameras. But there’s little evidence on what’s actually effective.
Above, a school security guard observes a school board meeting in Pennsylvania. While heightened school security measures are palatable for some parents, they're a worry for others.
Kylie Cooper/AFP via Getty Images

How do "school-hardening" tactics affect students, teachers and their communities?

Because gun control measures haven't gone far, schools are investing in security, says The 74's Mark Keierleber. Those measures come with significant costs.
A memorial in Uvalde, Texas, on June 3, 2022.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Detroit schools are reassessing the role of school police

Oct 20, 2020
After a summer of protests, the city has created a task force to reconsider the function and funding for its school police force.
A group of students in Detroit consider how they would want their city’s schools to rethink their budget at an event hosted by a youth group called Detroit Heals Detroit.
Beenish Ahmed

Men with guns in schools: Resource officers

Mar 14, 2013
One popular response to the school massacre in Connecticut was a call to put armed guards in all schools. Thousands of schools already have them.

The costs and the limits of school security

Dec 19, 2012
Schools are willing to spend to make schools safe, but security systems aren't a panacea.

For public good, not for profit.