Advocating for Equitable School Settings

Dr. Charles Tocci, a School of Education Teaching & Learning professor, continues to show commitment to bettering education and pushing for social change. 

Tocci is a passionate educator who works tirelessly to transform today’s educational landscape into one that fosters safe learning environments for all students. Recently, he has focused his efforts on advocating for the removal of school-based law enforcement (SBLE) from school settings. Tocci has published an op-ed titled, “For safer schools, CPS must remove the police,” in Crain’s Chicago Business and worked with a team of scholars and practitioners to publish an official statement for the Society for Community Research and Action of the American Psychological Association. In each of these works, Tocci strives to bring about social justice through education and research. 

SBLE are sworn police officers who are assigned to schools on a full or part-time basis. These officers are often brought into schools after cases of high-profile acts of gun violence in hopes of lessening crime and violence, yet research shows that SBLE programs often have little positive effects or increase crime and violence in schools. 

In his works, Tocci advocates for the removal of SBLE from school settings to create more positive and enriching environments for all students. Tocci’s hope for his work is to generate inclusive, democratic approaches to thoughtfully removing SBLE from schools in manners that support the academic and social-emotional growth of youth. 

The School of Education is proud of Tocci’s publications and his dedication to advocacy and social change. To read Tocci’s op-ed, click here. To read the official statement of the Society for Community Research and Action, click here.