Why Chicago Public Schools need more
Protective Measures Against School Violence
Paul Cotton
Baker College Online
Why Chicago Schools need more Protective Measures Against School Violence
Gun violence and the right to carry weapons have been two topics of heated debate over the last decade. From the violent burglaries to school shootings, the need for protection increases. The solution to end or reduce violence is not an easy task. Should society employ the right to carry law more universally or should more subtle measures be employed to combat violence? Even the president of the United States, Barack Obama, proposed the question, are we are we really doing enough to keep children
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Police officers on school grounds are a vital key to securing safety. This is definitely evident in Chicago Public Schools. In 2010, there were 122 high schools in Chicago Public Schools, but only 3 percent of them were willing to give up both their assigned officers (Kaba & Edwards, 2012).
Although there are many advantages to having police officers and armed school officials, opponents believe that such addendums only create more problems. First, there is the issue of costs. A coalition called Voices of Youth in Chicago Education (VOYCE) cited the following information: “Chicago Public Schools spent $51.4 million on school-based security guards, about 15 times more than it spend on college and career choices” (Kaba & Edwards, 2012, p. 1). To many opponents, funneling more money on an already fiscally challenged system doesn’t make sense. Then, there is the issue of the school-to-prison-pipeline (STTP). Many critics feel that if students are constantly at the hands of law officials, then they will not receive a fair punishment and will be pushed into harsher sentences for small infractions. The STTP is a philosophy predicated on the fact that harsh school discipline and law enforcement intersect to feed students into the prison system (Kaba & Edwards, 2012). Moreover, information from the Consortium on Chicago School Research suggests the similar views:
It is the quality of relationships between staff and students and between staff and
In 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School was victim of a terrible mass shooting that prompted several states and cities to pass strict gun control measures. This sparked a widely debated and controversial issue for “gun friendly” states in the South and West, who responded with bills that would strengthen Stand Your Ground laws and allow weapons in most public places. The nation continues to be divided on gun control policies, as it is very controversial and continues to be a very hot topic in society today. There has been a rise in gun violence throughout the years, and it has been widely been debated that guns are too easily accessible and there is a continued push for stricter gun laws that can reduce the risk of gun violence.
The use of police in schools has been on the increase since the shootings at Columbine High school in 1999. However, over the last 10-12 years the increase is due mainly to available government funding. These “Special Police” are now called “School Resource Officers” (SROs). While the proponents of the SRO program believe that the presence of a Police officer represents all that is right and moral and what our children should aspire to be.
(“Gun Violence by the Numbers in 2023.”).The rise of gun violence is causing problems in today's world because it is affecting children, young adults and health. Even though it is your right to bear arms, it is
Schools around the nation are contracting polices officer to patrol their schools and students. Police officers are known as School Resource Officer’s (SRO’s) like if given them a different name would matter, instead of being resourceful they are up holding the law in harsh ways. There are many SRO’s in schools and this has led to high number of arrests and criminal charges, instead of keeping a safer environment for the children it is becoming a hunting ground (Schept, Wall, & Brisman). Before when a child did something wrong they were given detention, standards, a parent-meeting or maybe even sent to the office, but now the student are sent to the police officer in their schools. Once they are sent to her/him they are punish in such a different way where they can be expelled, suspense or even taken to jail.
The School-to-Prison Pipeline is a “national trend wherein children are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems” (“School-to-Prison Pipeline”). This phenomenon brings children into the juvenile justice system at a very young age. An article published in the journal Urban Education explains that, “The school-to-prison pipeline contributes to the atmosphere of increased surveillance of schools including police presence in schools, zero-tolerance policies, physical restraint tactics, and automatic consequence policies, resulting in suspensions from school” (Martin, Beese 2015). By increasing police presence in schools, children are more likely to be searched, questioned, or targeted by police than they would be without police present. And as a result, “children are far more likely to be subject to school-based arrests—the majority of which are for nonviolent offenses, such as disruptive behavior—than they were a generation ago” (“School-to-Prison Pipeline”). For example, if a child was misbehaving in class in a school that had a police presence, they could possibly get arrested and sent to prison. But if a child was acting the same way in a school that did not have any police presence, they would not be arrested. Police would most likely be present in a school in an urban environment or poor neighborhood because more crime occurs in urban and poor places, so in theory, by placing police in schools, they would be preventing any crimes
Expanding police existence in schools may have appeared well and good as a response to expanding rates of youth violence and school shootings, however, these occasions can't disclose why police keep on being positioned in school structures today. Many parents believed that having police officer station in school prevents crime but research shows that it doesn’t present violence crime. Also, in retrospect, the schools that are most likely to have a daily enforcement presence on school grounds are the schools with the poorest students. Schools, where more than 75 percent of kids qualify for reduced lunch prices, are much more likely than their peers to have someone on school grounds full-time. Furthermore, A study done by Matthew Theriot of the University of Tennessee found that there wasn't much difference in serious crime between the schools that had SROs and the schools that didn't. I would inform those parents that having police present at most public should only create some problems that led to the student being delinquent at a young age because the students with police present at the school are five times likely to face criminal charges for “disorderly
Over the past 10 years the privilege of the right to bare arms, has spun out of control. On the daily, 48 children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides and suicide attempts, unintentional shootings, and police intervention. On average, 297 people in the US
Countless opinions have been broadcasted on national news media regarding what society ought to do about gun control. This controversial topic sparks many heated debates with people of either position reluctant to compromise. Gun supporters claim that the proposed gun laws infringe on their constitutional right to bear arms. Conversely, others believe that restricted gun access would cause gun violence to decrease. Regardless of what side one stands on, with the increase in gun violence, it is safe to say that something must be done.
While researching School Resource officers or law enforcement officers in schools it has been discovered that the research is on the effectiveness of SRO’s is mixed or limited on keeping schools safe (Justice Policy Institute, 2011). There has also been research that was conducted in the last few years that concluded that the safety of schools can be improved without the help of SRO’s and or Law Enforcement’s approach on discipline (Justice Policy Institute, 2011). While reviewing the research of Dewey Correll at the University of Virginia , he suggested that when using highly structured and defined rules that are created to be strict and fairly enforced, while having the support of adults, SRO’s are not necessary
Gun control has become an increasingly controversial topic in the nation due to the continuous debates relating to gun control and whether or not laws should be passed to make it harder for guns to be obtained. Guns serve for a variety of purposes that range from good to bad. Guns are not for everyone. Some individuals cannot handle guns properly, and some choose to use guns inappropriately. Lately, guns have become more of a problem in our society. There has been an increasing amount of shootings that have taken many lives and have wounded people emotionally, not just physically. Although guns are used for protection, firearms are reportedly used more in crimes. More and more shootings are breaking out across the nation. As a result, the
Although some say armed police officers in schools may be a danger to all, armed police officers should be present in schools because their presence alone can give a sense of safety. Having armed police officers on campus can deter bad situations from happening. They can also have an impact of the number of school shootings that occur. They can also help with situations that may occur with students that may have conflict with other students that a teacher or staff member may not be able to handle. In this era that we live in having armed officers in schools is a way to insure the safety of students.
In 2015, 13,367 people lost their lives due to gun violence according to Gun Violence Archive. The Archive also states that out of that number, 693 were children from ages 0-11. We can all agree that there is indeed a problem that we have to address. The solution to that problem, however, has been debated by many. I believe the solution to this problem exists in three parts: Mandatory training and licensing along with more heavily secure gun storage, stricter regulations on the purchasing of a firearm—disabilities and criminal records should be more deeply looked into before transaction—and finally, equipping teachers at highs schools with the right kind of weaponry to prevent mass shootings.
If schools are not safe, students will not find themselves in an environment in which they can learn. Studies show that crime and its related problems create an unfavorable environment for academic success. Before the 1990s the custom of assigning sworn police officers to serve in schools on a full-time basis was uncommon. However, over the last couple of decades, the number of police officers serving schools increased substantially, however few studies of police officers in schools, commonly known as school resource officers, have been conducted and little attention has been devoted to understanding the role of school resource officers. I have over thirty years in law enforcement, most of them in leadership positions. My desire in obtaining
Guns in America have become a hot topic. With that parents must take responsibility for their children for these reasons: providing proper education on guns, ensuring the lack of access to guns, and the safety of the child. Though with different views across the board on gun control, we must stop and take a second and look at what’s important. Is having the right to own weapons the important issue or is the safety of our children. The second amendment of the constitution being the biggest argument in this debate; the right to bear arms. From there we must weigh the debate of safety, can we protect every child from ever scenario while protecting our own rights.
The issue of every elementary school in California having an armed police guard on campus is important because there has been many incidents in the past with school shootings and other horrible events. Without officers in elementary schools, the kids that attend that school would not be nearly as safe as if they were with an officer. This issue is debatable because while some believe that the officer will be an advantage to the school’s safety, others believe that the officer could be a disadvantage because the kids could be frightened or not trust the officer.