skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, December 13, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Amazon donating $1 million to Trump inaugural fund, to air event on Prime Video; Retired USAF colonel urges White House to stop gaslight NJ residents over mysterious drones; Support available for MI youths aging out of foster care; NM designates 250 miles as Outstanding National Resource Waters; One size fits all? Not so, says OSHA for construction protection gear.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Biden carries out the largest ever single-day act of clemency, voting rights advocates raise alarm over Trump's pick to lead Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, and election denier Kari Lake is tapped to lead Voice of America.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Conservative voters surprised pundits by casting election votes for Trump but also against school vouchers, Pennsylvania's Black mayors work to unite their communities, and America's mental health providers try new techniques.

Iowa researcher: 'Hardening' schools doesn't stop classroom violence

play audio
Play

Monday, November 25, 2024   

Researchers say increasing the police presence in schools isn't the best way to address classroom violence. One expert in Iowa says educators would do better to treat the underlying causes.

Fifty years ago, just 1% of the nation's public schools had police officers on campus. That number has jumped to more than 40% now.

The 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado prompted officials to harden schools with more police presence, thinking it would keep students safer.

Iowa State University Associate Dean for the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice Monic Behnken said academic research shows that hasn't worked.

"What the literature is clear about for the past 20 years is actually the thing that you want to do is, you want to soften your schools," said Behnken. "You want to increase access to therapists, counselors, social workers, community liaisons."

Behnken said these professionals can address the emotional and social stressors among kids before they'd commit crimes.

She added that although school shootings have increased and get huge media attention when they happen, they are still statistically rare.

Behnken said data show that School Resource Officers (SROs), have next to no impact on stopping violence, bullying, or even schoolyard fights - but they do have a big impact in other areas.

"The research shows that SROs are good at policing," said Behnken. "So, they are fantastic in a school that has a drug problem. They are fantastic at a school that has a gang problem."

Behnken said otherwise, more officers on school campuses can do more harm than good - because school staff may learn to rely on SROs to solve discipline problems that administrators could handle without having to involve the police.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
After some initial permit roadblocks, Summit Carbon Solutions has been gaining approval in Midwestern states for a large-scale carbon capture project involving ethanol plants. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A massive carbon capture project proposed for the Midwest has another permit under its belt after Minnesota regulators gave their approval Thursday…


Social Issues

play sound

The Environmental Protection Agency this week banned a toxic chemical commonly used in dry cleaning and other consumer products. Trichloroethylene …

Social Issues

play sound

A new study provides New York State with an outline of necessary updates to its school funding formula. The Rockefeller Institute study called for …


Virginia is one of the top 10 states in the nation for Christmas tree production. (jannoon028/Freepik)

Social Issues

play sound

As families across the country prepare to celebrate the holiday season, the joy of decorating a Christmas tree is a time-honored tradition. But the …

Social Issues

play sound

Rising grocery prices and the end of pandemic-era benefits have left many Virginia families struggling to make ends meet. A recent poll from No Kid …

Social Issues

play sound

Lawmakers in Annapolis plan to introduce a bill to require a special election if a lawmaker is appointed to a seat in the first half of their term…

Social Issues

play sound

A new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy reveals that eviction injustice is locking many Michigan families out of safe, stable housing…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021