Police in schools date to the 1950s but expanded sharply after the 1999 Columbine shooting, when federal grants paid for thousands of new officers. In the 2021–22 school year, about 46 percent of US public schools had a school resource officer, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Officers enforce criminal law in schools, which turns ordinary misbehavior into possible arrests. In 2021–22, Black students were 15 percent of K-12 enrollment but 28 percent of students referred to law enforcement and 33 percent of those subjected to school-related arrests, according to federal civil rights data. Research has not consistently found that officers prevent school shootings.
After the 2020 protests, districts in Minneapolis, Denver, Oakland and elsewhere ended or cut police contracts. Some later brought officers back. Many students and advocates push to fund counselors, nurses and social workers instead.