HARTFORD, Connecticut (WTNH) — Schools across the country are looking for ways to make them safer.
In Connecticut, local leaders are trying to do just that without adding more school resource officers. A press conference will be held here in the capital later today to discuss how we can improve our education system through community and care.
The Connecticut Voices for Children is an organization focused on improving the well-being of especially historically disadvantaged children and families.
The group’s research found no evidence that school resource officers make schools safer.
However, schools with SROs experience more arrests and expulsions than schools without SROs. The organization said the pandemic, the situation, police brutality, and other national issues have traumatized students.
Instead of hiring more SROs, organizations and other leaders say more funding needs to be spent on mental and behavioral health programs for children —
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy isn’t scheduled to appear at today’s press conference, but he has spoken out against the use of school resource officers.
“I’ve seen black and Latinx students arrested at schools six times more often than white students,” said Chris Murphy, D-Conn.
In the past two weeks, several schools in Connecticut have dealt with situations where students have brought dangerous weapons onto school grounds. Senator Murphy said technology could secure students instead of uniformed cops.
Press conference to start at 11:30 am
