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The findings indicate that 80% of Black parents and caregivers ranked safety as one of the most important factors for school selection. This is down 7 percentage points from the previous survey. Moreover, when asked what are the most important issues facing African American students in their communities, 63% of parents cited violence and unsafe conditions in schools. From mass shootings in schools to violence and safe passage concerns, safety issues are palpable for parents.

In UNCF’s report A Seat at the Table: African American Youth’s Perspectives of K-12 Education, only 43% of African American youth felt their schools were safe. For African American students in schools predominantly with students of color, safety may take on different meanings, as they may be more likely to experience over-policing in schools, yet the research suggests that increased funding for school resource officers does not necessarily decrease discipline.¹ Anderson, K. & Anderson, M. (2020). Safety and school resource officers: Framing a legislative agenda. Howard University & UNCF. A joint UNCF and Howard University report, School Safety and School Resource Officers: Framing a Legislative Agenda, shows that students of color are often mechanically and physically restrained at rates that exceed their population size. In fact, Black students are mechanically restrained with devices at a rate nearly two times their population size.

Violence and safety are nuanced concepts in schools, and the culture and climate of the school matters as well in ensuring students feel safe. Office for Civil Rights data shows that Black students were 15% of the student population but represented 37% of students bullied or harassed based on race.² Office for Civil Rights Data Collection. 2017-2018. https://ocrdata.ed.gov/estimations/2017-2018

The next two most important issues when choosing a school for their child was the graduation rate or passing students to next grade level (61%) followed by support for students with special needs (52%).

The focus groups substantiated these issues as well. Parents were concerned about the lack of coordination efforts for children with special needs. One parent discussed the lack of high expectations for children with disabilities suggesting, “They don’t know how to manage these students [with disabilities], and these students just get left in this space where no one knows what to do with them.”