Abstract

School resource officer (SRO) presence in K–12 public schools is becoming increasingly popular in an effort to help ensure stakeholder safety and protect against unsuspecting acts of school violence. Despite the rise in SRO popularity, over the last 3 decades, research on the perceived impact of SRO presence in schools is mixed and generally relies on student reports. The current study, employing survey methodology, sought to contribute to and update the existing literature on SRO influence on teacher perceptions of safety and security. Nearly 4,000 (N = 3,970) teachers from one Midwestern state completed the survey. Approximately 63% (n = 2,483) of teachers in the study reported SRO presence in their school buildings. Results of the current study suggest that teachers positively associate SRO presence with feelings of safety and security, but they perceive students to be more fearful and less secure in buildings employing SROs. These findings draw attention to the importance of future research on SRO presence in schools in an educational era where budgets are tight and educational stakeholder safety and security is a national priority.

摘要

为了帮助确保利益相关者的安全并防止毫无预料的学校暴力行为，K-12公立学校的学校资源官员（SRO）越来越受欢迎。尽管SRO的受欢迎程度有所提高，但在过去的30年中，关于SRO在学校中的感知影响的研究参差不齐，并且通常依赖于学生报告。当前的研究采用调查方法，试图为SRO对教师对安全性和安全感的影响提供现有文献方面的贡献。来自中西部一个州的近4,000名教师（N = 3,970）完成了调查。约63％（n （= 2,483）的研究教师报告了他们学校楼内存在SRO。当前的研究结果表明，教师将SRO的存在与安全感紧密相关，但他们认为学生在使用SRO的建筑物中会更加恐惧和不安全。这些发现提请人们注意在预算紧缩且教育利益相关者的安全与保障是国家优先事项的教育时代，对学校中SRO存在的未来研究的重要性。