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Abstract
The safety of a school directly affects the likelihood of a student’s experience of peer victimization. Black girls are at an alarming risk of peer victimization, and school policies do not protect their safety but instead contribute to discipline disproportionalities. Aggression has been shown to be an instrumental factor in protecting vulnerable individuals from victimization. The current study analyzed 293 Black high school females’ experiences of peer victimization, perceptions of school safety, and levels of aggression to examine whether aggression plays an adaptive role in protecting Black girls from victimization in unsafe schools. Results indicate aggression plays a significant moderating effect in the association between school safety and peer victimization. The results are discussed in relation to norms of aggression in minoritized populations and the implication for the safety of the school environment.