Secondary schools with enrollments of mostly black students are more likely to have on-site police and security officers than schools with largely white enrollment, an analysis of new federal civil rights data finds.
About 54 percent of middle schools and high schools where the student body was at least 75 percent African-American had a sworn law enforcement officer or security guard in 2015-16, according to an analysis by Child Trends. By contrast, such security personnel could be found at 42 percent of all high schools and middle schools and at 33 percent of secondary schools where enrollment was at least 75 percent white, the analysis found. Civil rights groups say a greater presence of security personnel, differing discipline philosophies, and fewer support staff in majority black schools may contribute to disproportionately high rates of discipline for black students at state and national levels.
