From fights outside of class to seeing classmates with weapons, Black K-12 public school students are far more likely to worry about their safety in schools compared to their peers, according to a new report released Monday. 

At the same time, while a little more than half of all white students believe their school is safe, less than 40% of Black students agree, according to the report. 

At a time when investments in school safety are growing and security products are expanding, this report offers a reminder that safety cannot simply be purchased,” according to the report from YouthTruth, a nonprofit that conducts surveys of young people. “It requires a deep understanding of, and investment in, the daily work of tending to a school culture.” 

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One education expert, however, believes the disparity between how Black and white students feel about school safety is due to the different experiences they typically have on campus.  

Why Do Black Students Feel Less Safe At School?

“Schools are a microcosm of our society,” says Chavez Phelps, an assistant professor of school psychology at Georgia State University. “We know that racism and classism and other ‘isms’ impact Black youth.”

Research has shown that Black students are more likely to face school discipline, such as being suspended or expelled, than white students. The disparity has been attributed mainly to school administrators’ implicit bias against Black students. 

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Black students who feel unsafe at school have a harder time focusing on their academics and are more likely to show signs of mental health issues, Phelps says. 

Even in the earliest grades, teachers tend to adopt a more authoritarian approach toward Black boys than toward white boys, one study from the University of Notre Dame found. Additionally, Black boys are often reprimanded more frequently for their misbehavior and receive less leniency and patience from teachers.

YouthTruth surveyed nearly 200,000 students and 19,000 educators nationwide for the report to understand how students perceive their safety in school.

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According to the YouthTruth survey, Black students are also less likely than their white peers to feel safe from violence in their schools, the report said. Just under 40% of Black students believe their school is safe, while 53% of white students share that sentiment. 

About one-in-five high school students often worry about their safety in schools, according to the report. But among Black students, that share jumps to roughly one-in-four. 

How to Make Students Feel Safe At School

David McKinney, vice president of YouthTruth, says that educators who want to create a culture of safety should focus on building strong relationships with their students. 

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Educators should invest more time in building students as leaders, elevating their voices, he says. It also means cultivating spaces like after-school clubs, where students can bring their talents to a school environment. 

“We can’t assume that safety planning is necessarily going to lead to students really feeling engaged and motivated to be active participants in their school and in their own education,” McKinney says. “That requires really intentional work to recognize that students have a lot to bring to the table.”