Black Iowa Students Account for 21% of School-Based Arrests Despite Representing Only 7% of the State’s Student Population, According to a New ACLU Report
Black students attending Iowa public schools are arrested at nearly four times the rate of their classmates, according to a new report examining the use of police officers inside schools.
The ACLU of Iowa found Black students were referred to law enforcement twice as often as other students and arrested at 3.7 times the rate. Researchers said the disparities raise concerns about school policing practices and their role in pushing Black children into the school-to-prison pipeline.
Black students make up about 7% of Iowa’s student population but account for 13% of law enforcement referrals and 21% of school-based arrests.
Black Iowa Students Face Disproportionate Police Contact
Researchers identified at least 130 school resource officers working across 78 Iowa school districts, representing roughly one-quarter of the state’s school systems.
The organization submitted open-records requests to 87 school districts and 67 law enforcement agencies. Researchers then reviewed district policies, police records and federal civil rights data to measure arrest and referral patterns.
The report also found significant disparities involving students with disabilities. Those students represent about 13% of Iowa’s student population but accounted for 27% of law enforcement referrals and 26% of school arrests.
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Students with disabilities were approximately 2.3 times more likely to be referred to police or arrested than students without disabilities.
Officers Called for Routine Student Behavior
The ACLU said it could not identify a national study clearly demonstrating that schools with resource officers are safer than schools without them.
Instead, the records showed officers becoming involved in behavior that traditionally would have been addressed by teachers, counselors, administrators or parents.
Police reports reviewed by researchers included incidents involving vaping, rumors, name-calling and pushing.
In Perry, officers were reportedly contacted after a 7-year-old ran through a hallway and a 6-year-old disrupted a classroom. In Pella, a school officer investigated a playground disagreement involving children between the ages of 9 and 10.
The findings align with broader concerns that routine childhood behavior is increasingly treated as a law enforcement matter, particularly when Black students or students with disabilities are involved.
Iowa Schools Lack Consistent Officer Training and Policies
The report found 78% of school districts did not require school resource officers to receive specialized training beyond standard law enforcement preparation.
Among responding police agencies, 58% had no formal specialized training requirements for officers assigned to schools.
Researchers also found that 44% of school districts could not provide a policy explaining when parents must be notified before officers question students.
The ACLU said the lack of consistent training, parental notification rules and limits on police involvement creates conditions in which students may enter the criminal justice system for behavior that could be handled through school discipline or support services.
ACLU Calls for Investment in School Counselors
The report estimated that employing a school resource officer costs districts at least $98,000 annually. By comparison, the average base salary for a school counselor was approximately $70,015.
The ACLU recommended eliminating school resource officer programs and redirecting the funding toward counselors, mental health services and other student support programs.
For districts that continue employing officers, the organization recommended stricter training standards, clearer restrictions on police involvement, stronger data reporting, parental notification requirements and formal complaint procedures.
The report argues that investing in counseling and student support would address behavioral issues without unnecessarily exposing children to arrests, criminal records and long-term involvement with the justice system.
