This book highlights the intimate connection between racial/ethnic equity and school and community safety, the consequences of current inequities, and establishes the way forward in terms of future research, policy, and practice.

School safety has taken on increased urgency as the United States’ educational systems, families, and students grapple with the residual effects of a public health pandemic that kept students out of classrooms and away from critical supportive services. It is increasingly important to center the investigation, understanding, and policy implementations that highlight the correlates, root causes, and consequences of racial/ethnic inequality in the pursuit of school safety. This book addresses a range of aspects impacting racial/ethnic equity and school safety, all of which is being shaped by a growing population of diverse youth. The chapters in this volume touch on family, schools, neighborhoods, and communities; however, common to all of these chapters is an understanding of the challenges, barriers, consequences, and importance of connecting minoritized students to provide opportunities and protection. Thus, each of these chapters takes care to identify points for intervention, suggestions for policy, and promising directions for future research. Each study featured in this book stands out for its original and noteworthy contribution to the literature on the significance of race/ethnicity in regard to school safety research. Future research should further expand our understanding of equity, school safety, and justice for one of the fastest growing segments of the population – racial/ethnic minority youth. The growing number of racial/ethnic minority youth present both a challenge and an opportunity for increasingly diverse societies, communities, and schools.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Journal of School Violence.