Research Symposium

BIO

Khalise Richard-Williams is a student at Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy. Originally from Broward County, FL, she is passionate about issues related to justice, public policy, and community engagement. Her academic interests focus on the relationship between individual rights, legal institutions, and social responsibility.

Khalise is actively involved in service and leadership initiatives, supporting student engagement and community-based programs. Her experiences working with alternative breaks and student leadership programs have strengthened her commitment to civic responsibility and collaborative problem-solving.

Her academic work explores intersections of race relations, the carceral system, and capital punishment. She is particularly interested in how legal systems shape individual rights and broader societal outcomes. After completing her undergraduate studies, she plans to pursue opportunities to work at the intersection of law, policy, and community advocacy, with the long-term goal of attending law school.

Understanding Bias in K–12 Schools:A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Victimization, Policy,and Structural Influences

Abstract

Hate crimes and bias-motivated harassment in U.S. K–12 schools have drawn sustained attention from policymakers, scholars, and the public as incidents in educational settings have become more visible in national reporting. Federal intervention through the Hate Crime Statistics Act mandated the systematic collection of hate crime data by the FBI, increasing transparency around bias-related incidents occurring in schools. Despite this federal data infrastructure, responsibility for prevention and response largely remains at the state level, where legislative approaches vary considerably.
By examining the variations and effectiveness of state-level school policies, the research seeks to determine whether stronger legislative policies are associated with improved outcomes and safer educational environments. Through a review of statutes, legislative records, and state constitutional provisions across all 50 states, policies are coded and scored based on protected groups, enforcement mechanisms, institutional scope, and representational inclusivity. Comparative quantitative analysis incorporates controls for political affiliation, regional crime rates, demographic composition, and socioeconomic conditions to isolate policy effects.
Preliminary findings reveal substantial interstate variation in policy strength, with more comprehensive protections often concentrated in northern states. Democratic-sponsored policies generally receive higher inclusivity scores than Republican-sponsored legislation, though further statistical testing is required to establish causal relationships. The current findings provide a foundation for future research using national databases to assess long-term policy outcomes and their impact on reducing hate-related incidents in schools. These insights will empower policymakers to implement effective, evidence-based strategies that safeguard marginalized students and ensure equitable, high-quality educational experiences for all communities.

Keywords: criminology, hate-crimes, schools, victimization, policy