This week, the New York Times published a disturbing investigative report about police use of force in Texas schools. The newspaper went through thousands of incidents where school-based police departments had employed “heavy-handed” tactics – violent physical takedowns, chemical irritants, and electric tasers – and found many that were in response to minor misbehaviors, often stemming from things such as dress code violations, student beefs, and not showing respect for elders and authority.
Multiple studies spanning the last decade often found that while police presence in schools correlates with a reduction in some crimes, there is also a marked increase in harsher punishments, many of them disproportionately meted out to minority students. Cases that would have been handled aptly in a principal’s office have a much greater chance of winding up in a court of law.
The Times reporting also included a handful of nauseating videos that showed exceptionally egregious displays of physical abuse, some of which led to students’ – visibly a fraction of the size of the police in the scenes – suffering serious injuries, such as broken bones and concussions.
Officials responding to the findings pointed to the need to keep schools safe; parents and school staff often praised police for intervening in violent fights, confiscating weapons, and preventing would-be attacks.
But what if our kids aren’t safer with police departments taking up residence in schools? Do we really think that disrespectful children will be anything other than harmed by being arrested for poor judgment? Should mouthing off be punishable by jail time? Do we truly want to accept a society that doesn’t want children to be bullies but has few qualms about them being beaten by police?
A part of me doesn’t really want an answer to any of those questions because I know the sentiments of many from reading the comments sections. Too many of my neighbors believe other people’s kids deserve harsh treatment. Or, perhaps, only theirs are entitled to grace.
Obviously, I don’t have an answer that will fix our ills. We can’t prevent every bad thing from befalling us. Regardless, there are things we can do that will give our kids a better experience.
It doesn’t mean we will be reading riot acts until we’re blue in the face. But it will be hard work just the same: It might even mean lecturing less and listening more. Building connections with individuals rather than drawing conclusions from intuition.
We could start with modest changes in mindset. Instead of treating schools as if they were crime-ridden microcosms or major incubators of criminal potential, we set our sights on delivering on education.
It means justice has to apply to all mistakes, not just our teens. And consequences for the tormentors should be equally applied, especially when those doing harm are elders and authorities.
At the very least, we should be demanding more transparency. Schools with police presence should have community and civilian oversight. These incidents of brutality should be part of the public record, open to inspection, and every instance should be investigated independently.
We should not lose sight of the value of justice, oversight, and the role education can play in creating a healthier society. Maybe we can lean more heavily on our humanity so we don’t feel as dependent on the heavy hand.
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