This Year, We'll See Big Differences in the Roles of Cops in U.S. Schools

As students start heading back to school, they'll find freshly decorated halls, new lockers to decorate, and teachers asking about their summer reading assignments. In some areas, they’ll also be greeted by metal detectors and armed police officers, including at a least a few toting semiautomatic assault rifles.

A new school year means new questions about the role of police in classrooms and the effect of officers on everything from campus security to students’ prospects for spending for a life behind bars. School districts across the country spent their summer breaks grappling with the issue. While they’ve come up with varied approaches, many of the plans aim to achieve two overarching goals: decreasing arrests and enhancing relationships between cops and kids.