A new report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa (ACLU of Iowa) found that Black students and students with disabilities are more likely to be arrested or referred to law enforcement at disproportionately high rates by school resource officers across the state.
The report, “Rethinking School Safety in Iowa: The Harms of School Resource Officers,” examined public records, federal civil rights data and previous studies to look at how SRO programs are operating across Iowa. School resource officers, or SROs, are sworn law enforcement officers who work in schools and have the authority to investigate incidents, charge and arrest students. The organization identified at least 130 full-time SROs across 78 districts, which account for more than half of Iowa’s students.
Black students are arrested at nearly four times the rate of other students
Black students make up just 7% of Iowa’s public school population but account for 13% of SRO referrals and 21% of arrests, according to the report. That means Black students receive referrals at twice the rate of other students and are arrested at 3.7 times — nearly four times — the rate of their peers.
Some Iowa districts reported even wider disparities. In Waterloo, Black students made up 27% of the student population but 71% of referrals and 69% of arrests. In Cedar Rapids, they represented 19% of students, 29% of referrals, and 46% of arrests. Meanwhile, in Waukee, they made up just 6% of students, 15% of referrals and 40% of arrests, the report states.
The report also cited national studies showing that Black students do not misbehave or commit crimes in schools at higher rates than other students, despite being disproportionately referred and arrested by SROs.
Students with disabilities also experienced significant disparities. They make up 13% of Iowa’s student population but account for 27% of SRO referrals and 26% of arrests. According to the ACLU, students with disabilities are referred or arrested at 2.3 times the rate of students without disabilities.
SROs are getting involved in minor student behavior, according to report
The report also found that SROs are getting involved in incidents that would typically be handled by teachers or other school staff.
Vaping was the most common reason for SRO intervention, but records also showed officers becoming involved when students pushed each other, spread rumors or were considered “disrespectful” in class.
The ACLU of Iowa argued that those interactions can contribute to the school-to-prison pipeline by turning routine disciplinary matters into encounters with law enforcement, which can ultimately lead to referrals, citations or arrests.
However, the report also raised concerns about how students and parents can address problems with SROs. None of the 78 districts studied had an SRO-specific complaint process, while 38 had no process at all and another 38 relied on general complaint policies. Two districts directed complaints to the law enforcement agency employing the officer. The ACLU of Iowa argued that general school policies may not apply because many SROs are not district employees.
The ACLU is calling on Iowa schools to eliminate SRO programs
The ACLU of Iowa ultimately recommended that school districts eliminate SRO programs, pointing to Des Moines and Ames, which previously removed officers from their schools. If districts continue using SROs, the organization called for stricter training, better reporting, measurable program goals and clearer guidelines for when officers should become involved with students.
Those recommendations come as the report found that 27 of the 78 school districts studied had no policy requiring SRO training, while 32 left training requirements up to local law enforcement. Of the 62 law enforcement agencies that responded, 26 had no policy requiring SRO training.
The organization also recommended training officers on de-escalation and bias prevention, students’ civil rights, adolescent development, mental health and disability sensitivity. It also called for schools to handle matters internally when they can be resolved without law enforcement involvement.