Students' perspectives and utilization of school resource officers after experiences with school discipline or law enforcement

School resource officer (SRO) programs were expanded to improve school safety, but limited research has assessed factors impacting students' perspectives on and intended utilization of SROs. We analyzed the relationships of students' experiences with law enforcement and school discipline with views and intended use of SROs. We used multilevel logistic regression models based on the 2019 Minnesota Student Survey to estimate odds ratios of negative attitudes toward SROs. Among all students, 94.4% agreed having an SRO at school was a good idea, 62.1% said they would feel comfortable going to their SRO with a problem, and 68.1% that they would tell their SRO if they saw something unsafe. Among students with recent suspensions, a parent/guardian who was ever in prison, or attending alternative learning centers, there was still widespread support for SROs, albeit lower support for SROs. Furthermore, only about half of students with recent suspensions or impacted by parental incarceration stated they would utilize SROs. These findings highlight discrepancies in students' attitudes toward versus utilization of SROs, especially for those disproportionately impacted by law enforcement or school discipline. This is relevant, as having trusted adults to turn to with problems has been identified as a cornerstone of school safety. Students had overwhelmingly positive views of school resource officers (SROs) with 94% of students supporting the presence of SROs. However, fewer students stated they would feel comfortable going to their SRO if they had problems or needed help or if they knew about something unsafe or illegal (62% and 68%, respectively). While there is widespread support for SROs among students affected by law enforcement or school discipline, these individuals were significantly less likely to state that they supported the presence of SROs and intended to utilize SROs. Further research and interventions are necessary to optimize perspectives and utilization of SROs and/or assess adjuvants to SROs to promote feelings of school safety for all students, especially for students impacted by law enforcement or school discipline who are less likely to support and utilize SROs.