Child Health Disparities: Unraveling the Impact of Social Injustice and Exploring Solutions - Essay Example

School Resource Officers (SRO) undergo a program whereby they are taught how to maintain order in schools. They know how to respond to disciplinary matters, mentor wayward students, and where necessary, detain and arrest students. However, there have been a lot of arguments about whether they should be in schools. Due to teachers' rising complaints concerning violent and disruptive activities in the school, research had to be made and decide whether the SRO program should be introduced.

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The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) trains officers to ensure school security or safety. The officers protect students by preventing violence. A particular case in the Anchorage High School shooting was prevented from being a worst-case scenario with many fatalities (Alaska News, 2015). This is because the acting Atlanta Police Department (APD) officer talked the suspect into thinking of their decision. The officer's intervention prevented a mass shooting. School Resource Officers act as a symbol of law and order. They neutralize threats made towards the school and the students. According to NASRO, these officers also help in reducing cases of bullying.

Some people are against School Resource Officers being placed in schools because they believe that they disrupt learning. School safety can be achieved without law enforcement officers using support and structure. This is whereby adults, not necessarily law enforcement officers, are placed in schools (Justice Policy Institute, 2011). These individuals are caring, willing to help the students and provide a supportive environment. On the other hand, a high structure consists of rules to be followed by students. They can be fairly or strictly enforced to ensure there is no violence or disruption in schools. This does not require SROs.

Criminalizing delinquent behavior through arrests of wrongdoers in school may have an ethical impact. This is because out-of-school suspensions by race, gender, or ethnicity are a higher fraction of the total suspensions. Arrests conducted by school resource officers may lead to the detention of individuals in adult detention facilities, and in most cases, suspension follows (Theriot, 2009). In cases where arrested students face tough conditions, it is against ethics because they should protect the children while preventing violence. Also, arrests lead to more students' introduction into the Juvenile System for activities with little or no threat.

As a principal, after going through the pros and cons of having School Resource Officers in our school, I have decided that it is essential to improve order. This is because they will protect children from any threats posed by anyone or anything. They will also help in ensuring that the school is a safe environment. The Alaska Dispatch Newspaper has good evidence of why school resource officers should be in our schools. This decision is not to make the students suffer at all.

The credible sources included for this research to come up with a decision were Education Under Arrest by Justice Policy Institute, Alaska Dispatch News: Letter to the Editor, and the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights article on School Discipline. The other sources also have relevance expounding on the importance of SRO officers and the advantages and disadvantages. Theriot's article: School Resource Officers and Criminalization of Student Behavior has also been instrumental in this report.

References

Theriot T. M. (2009). School resource officers and criminalization of Students. Journal of Criminal Justice. Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 280-287, May. https://ideas.repec.org/s/eee/jcjust.html

Alaska News. (2015). The event wasn't front page due to APD officers at school. Readers write Letter to the editor, Oct. 15, 2015. Alaska Dispatch News. https://www.adn.com/letters/article/readers-write-letters-editor-oct-15-2015/2015/10/15/

Petterrutti A. (2011). Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools. Justice Policy Institute. http://www.justicepolicy.org/research/3177?utm_source=%2fEducationUnderArrest&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=redirect