UC Davis

We examine three axes of racial stratification in contemporary US schooling: segregation, exclusionary discipline, and on-campus policing. Analyzing nationwide survey and administrative data from the US Department of Education linked with crime data from the FBI, we estimate associations among schools’ student ethnoracial compositions, on-campus presence of law enforcement officers and private security guards, use of surveillance and control tactics, and number of suspensions issued. Schools’ concentrations of Latinx and Black students are positively associated with their use of surveillance and social control practices and odds of employing sworn law enforcement officers and security guards. Moreover, higher shares of Black students are associated with greater use of exclusionary discipline. In models including statistical adjustment for local crime incidence, the estimated association between Black student enrollment and student suspension rates is substantially attenuated following the introduction of covariates measuring police and security presence.