Dive Brief:

• Because the amount of school shootings in K-12 classrooms has tripled since 2011, many districts are now employing an estimated 10,000 to 14,000 school resource officers nationwide in addition to implementing additional safety measures.
• Other options include the incorporation of metal detectors, surveillance cameras, and new tech initiatives including visitor management systems, District Administration reports.
• A preventative model is being used in Virginia, calling “early attention to bullying, student conflicts and other problems that can escalate into violent behavior.”

Dive Insight:

With the increased security measures, critics have expressed concern over schools becoming too "militarized" — though some see that as inevitable, given the scope of the problem. “At least 26 school districts have participated in the Pentagon’s 1033 program, which since the 1990s has provided free military surplus goods, including mine-resistant armored vehicles, grenade launchers and M16 rifles,” RT.com recently reported.

While there probably aren't many schools with armored vehicles and grenade launchers, there's still concern from nonprofits like the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Children’s Law Center, and Public Counsel — which have written letters of protest to policymakers — regarding the “over-reliance” on police officers and weaponry in schools. Some say that students can’t learn as well in a militarized atmosphere.

Of course, this also has an impact on the school-to-prison pipeline via harsher punishments for students. In South Carolina, for example, CNN reports that school disruptions constitute a misdemeanor. By reducing severe punishments and expecting staff to identify rather than penalize students with behavioral problems, District Administration notes that safety can be preventatively increased.  At the same time, that solution also reduces a student's potential for slipping into the school-to-prison pipeline.