Must-Know Stats

7 Infuriating Statistics From John Oliver On School Police

These facts make it clear why police don’t belong in schools.

by Tyler Santora
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On Sunday’s episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver laid down the truth about police in schools.

After mass school shootings, many advocate for more school police, also called school resource officers. But SRO’s don’t keep kids safe and are a waste of resources, the data shows.

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0

The number of school shootings out of a total of 179 in which school resource officers lessened the severity of the shooting.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Experts who have studied this have found that school shooters were not deterred due to the presence of metal detectors, locked doors, security cameras, or school resource officers.

John Oliver

54,321 students were arrested in schools during the 2017-2018 school year.

Students have been charged with things like assault for throwing a paper airplane and drug possession for carrying a maple leaf.

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58%

The percentage of schools in the U.S. with a sworn law enforcement officer on campus at least once per week.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

14 million students attend a school with police but no counselor, nurse, psychologist, or social worker.

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70%

The percentage of student arrests by school resource officers in Santa Clara, California that aren't serious enough to be referred to the District Attorney for criminal charges. However, these students are left with a criminal record.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Students with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely to be arrested in school than those without disabilities.

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31.6%

The percentage of students arrested in schools who are Black — which is twice their share of enrollment.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

“Schools with SROs have higher rates of exclusionary discipline — things like suspensions and expulsions — than comparable schools without SROs, which has been shown to be associated with lower academic achievement, dropout, and increased behavioral problems both in and out of school.”

John Oliver

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Kids deserve to be annoying without being arrested, to be sad and angry without being body-slammed.

John Oliver

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