Perceived School Resource Officer bias and Black student mental health

Resumen de los autores

Schools throughout the country, and particularly schools serving Black students, have increased their utilization of School Resource Officers (SROs). Black students now often have high levels of exposure to SROs. Given research linking police exposure to bias exposure, and linking bias exposure to mental health declines, this could indicate that Black student exposure to SROs may harm their mental health. However, because SROs in different schools and districts receive vastly different training, it is possible that the kind of SRO a Black student is exposed to depends on the school they attend, with some Black students attending schools with SROs training in cultural competency and trauma-informed practices, and others who have not received even basic training in working with youth. If this is so, do the health impacts of SRO exposure depend on the type of SRO a Black student is exposed to—e.g., whether the SRO is one who exhibits racial bias? We explore this question using data from 2,365 Black 7th-12th grade students in 114 California middle and high schools and find evidence that Black students perceive significantly more SRO bias than similarly situated non-Black peers; that Black students’ perceptions of SRO bias vary significantly depending on the school they attend; and that Black students’ perceptions of SRO bias are related to depressive symptoms, challenges coping with anxiety, and psychological distress.

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Cómo citar (APA 7)

Darling-Hammond, S. (2023). Perceived School Resource Officer bias and Black student mental health. https://doi.org/10.35542/osf.io/wkhcp