Critical policy analysis of police presence in Florida, Illinois, and Texas county district schools

This research is centered on racial and social justice, police education, and the growing impact of police in schools in the United States. More particularly, it is concerned with the evolution of police culture over time as it has become more militarized and how that affects local police, law enforcement agencies, and especially police or deputies in schools and the communities they serve. Central Research Question This work is a critical policy analysis of police presence in schools from 2006-2018, with particular focus on Florida, Illinois, and Texas. What are the ways school district policies in Florida, Illinois, and Texas on law enforcement officers in schools align with practice, and what are the ways in which they diverge? The literature review for this topic highlights a number of themes that were present in much of the current research. These themes include racial disparities in school discipline practices and student arrests, the militarization of the police, brief historical and educational backgrounds on police practice, the overwhelming idea that cameras worn by police (body-cams) would be a panacea to prevent problems, and the alarmingly exponential increase in the numbers of police in schools and how their practices are becoming likewise more militarized. Even with the increase in law enforcement officers and their military-like equipment and practices - schools and students have not become safer.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Policy Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Exum, Cynthia

Contributors dc:contributor

• Pak, Yoon
• Baber, Lorenzo
• Ward Hood, Denice
• Moton, Theopolies

• Police In Schools
• Deputies In Schools
• School Discipline Practices

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Cynthia Exum

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130193

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130193