{"id":5084488,"date":"2019-04-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-24T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ctlatinonews.com\/more-police-in-schools-more-latino-arrests\/"},"modified":"2019-04-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-04-24T04:00:00","slug":"more-police-in-schools-more-latino-arrests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/latinonewsnetwork.com\/ctln\/2019\/04\/24\/more-police-in-schools-more-latino-arrests\/","title":{"rendered":"More Police In Schools = More Latino Arrests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Vicki Adame<\/a>, CTLatinoNews.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

The presence of\npolice officers on school campuses may contribute to more Latino students being\narrested or referred to law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n

The average arrest rate of Latino students attending schools with school resource officers (SROs) was six times greater than the average arrest rate of Latino students attending schools without SROs, according to a study<\/a> done by Connecticut Voices for Children<\/a>. Overall, students at schools with SROs were at greater risk of discipline, according to the study which looked at the 2015-2016 school year.<\/p>\n\n\n

In addition, having school resource officers (SROs) on campus did not appear to contribute to a safer school climate or improved academic outcomes, according to the study\u2019s findings. When looking at a number of school safety measures \u2014 including use of weapons, drugs, and alcohol; theft and property damage \u2014 the average number of incidents didn\u2019t significantly differ between schools with SROs and those without. And neither did the academic performance. <\/p>\n\n\n

Although schools\nand boards of education may request SROs as a means of improving public safety,\nthe study found no evidence to support those outcomes during the 2015-2016\nschool year. Statewide, only 24 percent of schools have SROs, according to\nstudy findings.<\/p>\n\n\n

\u201cWhile many schools look to school resource officers to improve school safety and education outcomes, these findings are troubling evidence that their presence may contribute to increased discipline for minor offenses and far greater arrest rates for Latino students,\u201d <\/h3>\n\n\n

\u201cWhile many schools look to school resource officers to improve school safety and education outcomes, these findings are troubling evidence that their presence may contribute to increased discipline for minor offenses and far greater arrest rates for Latino students,\u201d said Camara Stokes Hudson, an associate policy fellow at Connecticut Voices for Children. \u201cWe need to ensure that the presence of SROs does not lead to unnecessary discipline or exacerbate existing inequalities in our education system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Last year the\ntotal number of Latino students in Connecticut schools stood at just under\n133,000 and they made up 25 percent of the student population.<\/p>\n\n\n

The school districts with the highest percentage of Latinos were:<\/p>\n\n\n