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Most Boston Public Schools parents support police and metal detectors in schools, new poll finds
The poll also found that 66% of parents are concerned about their children’s physical safety in Boston schools.
Most Boston Public Schools parents are concerned about their children’s safety at school, according to the results of a new poll. In addition, most also support metal detectors and police in BPS schools.
The poll, sponsored by The Shah Foundation and conducted by MassINC Polling Group, surveyed d 828 parents of BPS students from March 22 to April 10.
Overall, 76% of parents said that they either “strongly” or “somewhat” support metal detectors in schools. Similarly, 75% of respondents said that they supported the addition of police officers to schools.
Pollsters also broke down the results by race and ethnicity. Latino parents showed the highest amount of support for these measures, with 85% favoring metal detectors and 87% favoring a police presence. The results show that 62% of white parents want metal detectors, and 60% want police in schools.
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A total of 66% of all parents said that they were concerned about their children’s physical safety at school. The poll found that 58% of white parents, 71% of Black parents, 71% of Latino parents, and 79% of Asian parents were concerned about their children’s safety at school.
Police have not been stationed inside BPS schools since 2021. They were replaced by safety officers who do not have arrest powers, uniforms, or handcuffs.
In January, four Boston city councilors published a letter calling for the reintroduction of police officers to BPS schools as well as “non-invasive technology such as metal detectors” Several Boston schools already do have metal detectors in use.
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The councilors cited an incident in January where a teacher at the Young Achievers Science and Math Pilot School in Mattapan felt the need to walk a student home who was afraid for her safety. The student and teacher were jumped by three girls outside the school and repeatedly punched and kicked, the councilors wrote. The teacher had to use her body as a shield, and both were transported to a hospital.
In February, The Boston Globe reported that BPS officials were negotiating with Boston Police to formalize the relationship between the two and lay out when staff members should call police. A spokesperson from Mayor Michelle Wu’s office said that the agreement would not put BPD officers in the city’s schools full-time.
Juvenile justice advocates have pushed back on the issue, particularly on a proposal made last December by BPS officials that would add extra safety staff to schools. They would not be police officers, but would work with students deemed to be involved in, or at risk of becoming involved in, violent situations. As initially pitched, the new staff would be tasked with tracing social media for potential conflicts and possibly intervening in fights. Advocates said it would inevitably lead to the overpolicing of Black and Latino students,
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The poll this week also explored how parents are feeling about the BPS system as a whole. A total of 73% of respondents said that they were either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with the city’s schools. When this poll was last conducted in November 2022, 79% of respondents said they were satisfied.
Pollsters found that 76% of BPS parents want to be very engaged with schools, but only 46% say BPS enables serious engagement.
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