Program
Education Doctorate
Number of Pages
130
Year Approved
2024
First Advisor
Meghan Cavalier
Second Reader
Albert Johnson
Third Reader
Tracy Reimer
Abstract
Although heuristic models on safety for Black students have been proposed following the death of George Floyd (Edwards, 2021), little research to date has highlighted how Minnesota educational leaders perceive school resource officers (SROs) in schools. This phenomenological investigation explored the shared lived experiences of six Minnesota high school administrators from one school district that employed SROs. Five themes were determined in the course of data analysis, including qualified advocacy for SROs, SRO contributions to de-escalating for safer schools, SRO assistance in emergency situations, SRO caused escalation, and SRO caused racial harm. Findings from this study revealed support for SROs amongst study participants for reasons related to legal socialization theory. While acknowledging the trauma that some SROs have caused, member participants did not consider George Floyd’s death or the subsequent racial protests of 2020 as cause for SRO removal. Participants highlighted the relational and educational contributions that SROs produce, thus advancing the notion that SROs contribute towards a positive legal socialization experience. Study findings may be valuable for district policy leaders who serve a vital role in determining what procedures and actions promote a safe learning environment.
Degree Name
Education Doctorate
Document Type
Doctoral dissertation
Recommended Citation
Mahan, J. S. (2024). The Rise in Racial Tension: Metropolitan High School Administrators' Perceptions of School Resource Officers [Doctoral dissertation, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1116
Terms of Use and License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.