Overview
- The ACLU of Iowa released the report Thursday after reviewing 2021–22 federal data and open records from dozens of districts to assess the role of school resource officers in Iowa schools.
- Researchers found about 130 SROs working in 78 districts and said SRO involvement most often concerned minor offenses such as vaping rather than violent crime.
- The report documents racial and disability disparities, noting Black students account for a higher share of SRO referrals and arrests than their share of the student population and students with disabilities are overrepresented in referrals and arrests.
- Authors flagged widespread gaps in policy and oversight, including missing training standards, few routine program evaluations, limited parent-notification practices, and weak complaint processes.
- Local police and some districts defended SROs as relationship-building and crisis responders, and their position clashes with a 2024 Iowa law that encourages SROs in larger districts, leaving the issue unresolved at the state level.