Comprehensive School Safety Research Articles

Identifying facilitators and barriers to implementing the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System in Miami-Dade County, USA: a qualitative study

BackgroundMultiple anonymous reporting systems (ARS) have been implemented to prevent school violence and improve school climate. This study examines the facilitators and barriers to implementation and the role and usability...

Assessment of comprehensive school safety in Vietnam: From policy to practice

Since the first School Safety Program launched by the Ministry of Education and Training in 2007, Vietnam has promoted various multi-sectoral activities to advance school safety nationwide. This study aims to identify the opportunities to advance school disaster safety by assessing policies and practices in Vietnam. A framework adapted from the ASEAN Comprehensive School Safety Framework and School Disaster Resilience Assessment is utilized to evaluate policy coverage and implementation level of school safety in Vietnam. The study systematically reviewed legal documents at national level, followed by questionnaire surveys conducted for primary schools in Da Nang City, which was selected as a pilot evaluation site owing to its vulnerability to natural disasters and extensive records of school safety practices. Results show that the most critical elements of school safety have been reflected in existing policy documents and regulations. However, the gap between policies and implementation remains due to the inadequacy of school safety viewpoint, designated roles and responsibilities, resources, and guidelines for supporting the school safety practices at the local level. The findings emphasize the importance of a national school safety framework that enables institutional and resource arrangements for better practices at the local level.

Understanding the impact of climate change on Bhutanese school communities: Challenges and responses

Climate change is intensifying the risks faced by children’s lives, as well as impacting their learning and education. How school communities in Bhutan are dealing with issues related to climate change is largely uncharted. This study examined how Bhutanese schools have been affected by the changing climate and how they were responding to it. The data sources included interviews with school principals, teachers, and district education officers, as well as observations, and document analysis. The global comprehensive school safety framework, along with a whole school approach to climate action framed the results of this study. Findings included that schools experienced multiple climate impacts and shocks affecting their children’s health, education, and the school system itself. Adaptation and mitigation measures including climate change education have yet to gain traction at the sector and school’s level. Schools, however, have attempted some actions such as through disaster management, and participatory environmental conservation and green school initiatives. Social capital was critical in filling the resource gap for initiating environmental and climate change actions, carried out through collective school, community, and student-based activities. Human capacities, policy and institutional structures, technical capacities, and capital (cultural and economic) constraints as well as slow mainstreaming into local development processes impeded efforts to build climate-resilient schools, including practices to contribute to greenhouse gases reduction. This study not only shed light on how climate change was affecting schools and children but also provided strong evidence for policymakers and relevant agencies to scale up interventions to enhance adaptation and mitigation practices.

Neighborhood Disadvantage, Social Groups, and Adolescent Violence: Assessing Mechanisms in Structural-Cultural Theories

Structural-cultural perspectives link contextual characteristics to interactions with associates who transmit definitions favorable to crime, thus influencing behavior. Drawing on this, we predict that: (1) adolescents in disadvantaged neighborhoods will be more likely to have parents, friends, and schoolmates who hold violent rationalizations, (2) exposure to associates who hold violent rationalizations will increase an adolescent’s own violent rationalizations, and (3) one’s willingness to rationalize violence will be associated with self-reported violent conduct. Using panel data from the University of Missouri – St. Louis Comprehensive School Safety Initiative and structural equation models, our findings indicate that respondents residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods are more likely to be exposed to associates who report a greater willingness to rationalize violence, which in turn predicts an adolescent’s own rationalizations. Further, one’s willingness to rationalize violence is predictive of violent conduct and mediates the effects of associates’ attitudes on self-reported violence.

Adolescent Weapon Carrying Inside and Outside of School: The Impact of Experiences and Perceptions of Violence

This study examined factors that distinguish adolescent weapon carrying in school compared to only in the community. We look at how experiences (offending, victimization, and gang-involvement) and perceptions (school, neighborhood, individual) toward violence are associated with self-reported weapon carrying in these two locations. Data came from two waves of the University of Missouri – St. Louis Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, a longitudinal study on the causes and consequences of school violence. Multinomial logistic regression was used to predict weapon carrying among three mutually exclusive categories: those who do not carry, those who carry only in the community, and those who carry both in school and in the community. We find that victim/offenders are more likely to carry weapons regardless of context, but school weapon carrying is positively associated with fatalism and gang-involvement. One school factor, school commitment, impacted carrying both inside and outside of school. Our results identify unique factors that can reduce adolescent weapon carrying in general and specifically in school.

Disaster Preparedness amongst Schools Teachers: A Holistic Approach towards Development of a Research Tool

The Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) is a complete strategy for creating safe learning environments for administrators, teachers, students, and school staff. The CSS framework has three pillars: safe learning facilities, school disaster management, and risk reduction and resilience education. This study was conducted to develop a research tool to assess disaster preparedness among school teachers using the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF). A questionnaire was developed by the researcher, which had 27 items. There were 320 school teachers selected from 64 schools. On the basis of factor analysis, there were seven factors found for the disaster preparedness of school teachers: online learning and emergency preparedness, local risk awareness, physical safety and infrastructure, organization disaster management, online teaching readiness, active learning and disaster training, general awareness, and immediate response. The tool developed by the research was named disaster preparedness and risk reduction (DPRR). This tool is validated and reliable on the basis of factor analysis for the assessment of disaster preparedness amongst school teachers.

Assessment of School Teacher's Disaster Preparedness by Using Comprehensive School Safety Framework

The Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) is a comprehensive strategy for a safe learning environment for teachers, students and school staff. This study assessed the disaster preparedness level of secondary school teachers in the public school district Attock. Three hundred twenty teachers were selected from district Attock public based on their age, gender, qualification, teaching level and teaching experience. A five-point Likert scale survey instrument using the CSS framework was used to analyze the disaster preparedness of secondary school teachers. The data was collected through Google Forms using a survey. Data was standardized on MS Excel for a smooth run on SPPS. The data revealed that the majority of the schools are prepared for disaster. There are safe learning facilities, school disaster management, disaster risk reduction and resilience education. However, no school was found to be highly prepared. At the end of the study, the researcher gives further research recommendations on school safety based on the CSS framework.

THE EXTENT OF UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS OF SAN MARIANO NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

This study aimed to determine the extent of understanding and implementing disaster risk management at San Mariano National High School. The Participatory School Disaster Management Toolkit, created by Save the Children as a contribution to the implementation of Comprehensive School Safety Pillar 2—School Disaster Management—was the data source for quantitative research, which employed the descriptive-evaluative method. The San Mariano National High School's understanding and implementation of disaster risk management were examined using the mean and standard deviation. A Likert scale was employed to gauge the level of understanding and implementation. Considering the results, although the faculty and staff of San Mariano National High School do not belong to the disaster risk reduction management council, programs and activities for disaster risk reduction are executed successfully. The results also showed that faculty and staff understand and participate in disaster risk reduction, response, and preparedness. However, many faculty members and staff encountered difficulties putting these programs into practice, so they were advised to develop a more comprehensive disaster risk reduction management plan that would meet the needs of the school, maintain and upgrade DRR programs, add more members to the DRR organization, purchase and identify facilities and equipment for emergencies, and finally regularly review and assess the implementation of disaster risk reduction programs to achieve very well-implemented DRRM programs.

Disaster Prevention and Risk Reduction Education Implementation in Special Education Schools in Indonesia: Teachers’ Challenges, Strategies, and Recommendations

Indonesia adopted the Comprehensive School Safety framework to increase the resilience of all its citizens to disaster. During a disaster, children with special needs and disabilities (SEND) are more likely to be abandoned. Hence, this research, targets to determine special education teachers’ disaster education plans and strategies, and the challenges they encountered in implementing Satuan Pendidikan Aman Bencana (SPAB). It was qualitative research that employed a purposive sampling technique in determining the study participants. The main participants were twenty-three (23) special education teachers and thirteen (13) school principals and community engagement officers from twelve (12) special education schools. Data gathering tools used were in-depth interviews, quick surveys, and observations. A qualitative descriptive approach was utilized in analyzing the data. The results build the evidence that amidst the country’s efforts over the past decades, children with SEND remain susceptible to disaster due to its delayed implementation in special education schools. A huge gap between the compliance of public and private special education units was identified. Implementation of locally adopted CSS was very recent. It was concluded that teachers’ competence influences mainly its implementation. Challenges were identified including the unavailability of Disaster Prevention and Risk Reduction Education (DPRRE) integrated modules, limited disability-inclusive teaching materials, and teachers’ limited training and knowledge about Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM). The findings suggest a necessity to evaluate the quality and suitability of education units’ compliance with the provisions of the SPAB program policy

Disaster Preparedness and Safety School as a Conceptual Framework of Comprehensive School Safety

Accidents and disasters can potentially affect most elementary school students. Accordingly, comprehensive school safety is important to ensure children’s safety. This study aimed to identify the key indicators of the minimum standards for Disaster Preparedness and Safety School programs as a conceptual framework of comprehensive school safety in Indonesian elementary schools. This exploratory study was conducted with nine key informants using a qualitative descriptive approach. The data from semi-structured interviews with experts in disaster risk reduction were analyzed using content analysis. This study identified 23 key indicators, namely: commitment, policy and regulation, planning, budgeting, risk assessment, teamwork, coordination, standard operating procedure, technical guideline, monitoring and evaluation, resource mobilization, infrastructures, information system, assembly points, safe zones, sister schools, curriculum integration, integration to learning activities, simulation training programs, trained teachers, dissemination of information, student cadres, and safety competition. There were nine indicators identified as school disaster management pillars, five indicators for safe school facilities, and nine indicators for risk reduction education.

Pupil participation in the comprehensive school safety framework at primary schools in Stung Streng province, Cambodia

More than 60 nations worldwide have endorsed the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) to promote education quality and ensure a safe learning environment. The CSSF aims to take a participatory approach to inform risk and protect educators and learners from harm, violation, injury, and death in schools and other learning spaces. This article adopts the CSSF to analyze pupil participation in interventions at Cambodia's primary schools. The study focuses on exposures, awareness and knowledge, interventions, and the engagement of girls and boys in safe schools. We conducted surveys with 768 pupils at 34 primary schools in Cambodia's Stung Treng province for quantitative data and case studies with key stakeholders for qualitative data. The study reveals that (1) primary school pupils remain exposed to natural and man-made hazards. Insufficient infrastructure and limited interventions are the cause of exposure leading to vulnerability for pupils. (2) School infrastructure and awareness-raising to increase pupils' knowledge and attitudes significantly promote safe school interventions. While school safety and educational continuity management help increase pupils' knowledge and positive attitude, schools do not have the financial resources to carry out interventions. (3) Girls play more of a role as leaders and deliverers, but boys actively carry out activities for interventions. Girls need more instruction to participate in school tasks and have unequal access to resources. This first empirical study explores the implications of gendered participation in CSSF implementation and addresses a literature gap related to safe school intervention in developing countries like Cambodia.

Safer and resilient schools in seismic regions: a systems perspective

ABSTRACT Sustainability of school infrastructure and resilience of educational communities to natural hazards are of paramount importance to provide the safety and protection against various natural and man-made threats children face. The 2015 Nepal earthquake and its impact on schools confirms this approach at multiple levels, since schools are built as structures, supported as financial entities by the state, and function as social clusters within each community. In the literature, there are various guidelines and frameworks for safety and resilience of schools. Notable amongst these, the UNISDR’s Comprehensive School Safety Framework consists of three pillars including safe school facilities, school disaster management and risk reduction education. A systems perspective requires a holistic approach to resilience of schools incorporating the safety of school buildings, governance and funding, provision of supporting infrastructure, school curriculum and more importantly, the resourcefulness of educational communities. The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, to present a quantifiable, holistic framework for the resilience of schools, and second, to demonstrate how the framework is rooted in a systems thinking perspective. The novelty of the proposed framework lies in resilience assessment using a participatory, multi-disciplinary and holistic approach tailored to the salient features of a low-income country. This work is part of a Special Issue on Systems Perspectives: Clarity through Examples (see Dias 2023).

Disaster Risk Reduction Management: Basis in Crafting: A 3-Year Strategic Plan for Pili National High School

This study determined the extent of Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) of Pili National High School (PNHS), Magallanes, Sorsogon. The study looked into the level of preparedness of PNHS in terms of the localized existing policies related to school safety and the status of implementation of PNHS on the three pillars of Comprehensive DRRM in Basic Education Framework along safe learning facilities, school disaster management, and DRR in education. The findings of this study guided the researcher in crafting a 3-year strategic DRRM plan for PNHS for the calendar year 2023-2025. The purposive sampling method was used in selecting the participants of the study. They are the members of the local DRRM councils of Magallanes and the school and district DRRM teams. They examined and observed the DRRM implementation of PNHS using the adapted comprehensive school safety monitoring checklist. Data gathered were statistically analyzed and a 3-year strategic DRRM plan for PNHS was crafted. Keywords: Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM), Safe Learning Facilities, School Disaster Management, Disaster Risk Reduction in Education, and Strategic DRRM Plan DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-13-02 Publication date: May 31 st 2023

Student Outcomes from the Pilot Test of a Comprehensive School Safety Framework for High Schools: Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS)

This paper has two purposes: First, we describe the components of the Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS) framework in the context of the literature on school safety. Second, we offer outcomes from a pilot study testing the framework's impact on student perceptions of: (a) school belonging, (b) sense of personal safety, (c) level of disruption, (d) level of delinquency, (e) responsibility for school safety, (f) engagement in victimizing behavior, and (g) sense of being victimized by peers. We conducted a study with two conditions, intervention and control. The study was conducted in Oregon and Illinois. Four high schools participated in the study. Two high schools received access to the SOARS framework and two high schools served as controls. We collected usage data of the Advocatr app, the central components of the SOARS framework, as well as survey data from students. We examined Advocatr use by overall frequency as well as across student race and gender. Survey data were analyzed using an ANCOVA analytic approach. Almost all outcomes were in the desired direction. Intervention effects on student-reported school belonging, sense of personal safety, and level of disruption reached statistical significance. Effect sizes ranged from small to medium, with the largest effect in students’ perceptions of personal safety. We contextualize our study in the literature on school safety and describe the alignment of the SOARS components with existing recommendations for increasing students’ safety at school.

Understanding the impacts of floods on learning quality, school facilities, and educational recovery in Indonesia.

This research is among the first pieces of work to use the comprehensive school safety (CSS) framework to assess the impacts of floods on quality learning and education infrastructure. The CSS framework is employed here to identify the level of disruption to education services following floods in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2013. The paper poses three key questions, concerning: (i) disruption to children's access to quality education during the flood emergency in 2013 and the early recovery phase; (ii) the impact of the floods on a school's physical infrastructure; and (iii) the effectiveness and level of success of the 2013 flood responses by relevant stakeholders. Combining quantitative and qualitative strategies, the paper examines the experiences of 100 schools in Jakarta. The findings suggest that the CSS framework offers a more nuanced approach to assessing post-disaster education needs. Moreover, it is also relevant for examining the relationship between the COVID-19 pandemic and relative losses in the education sector.

Promoting school safety through multi-tiered systems of support for student mental health

It is imperative that educators take a positive and preventive approach to support students and promote school safety. This article addresses the importance of identifying students who need additional mental health support and providing the highest quality support. These include best practices of emphasizing strength-based approaches, working with students and families as collaborators, integrating strategies into schools’ multi-tiered systems of support, using data for decision making, implementing and refining evidence-based practices, and conducting ongoing evaluation. This article reviews specific examples of positive approaches to promoting student mental health funded by the National Institute of Justice Comprehensive School Safety Initiative. These real-world research initiatives provide examples of how multi-tiered systems of support for student mental health can serve as a mechanism to promote school safety.

Returning to normal? 'Building back better' in the Dominican education system after Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria.

Child‐centred disaster risk reduction aims to reduce child vulnerability and increase resilience to disasters. The 2015 Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSSF) sought to decrease hazard risks to education. Between 2015 and 2017, Dominica was struck by Tropical Storm Erika and Hurricane Maria, which significantly affected the education system at the local and national scales. Since Maria, a couple of national initiatives (Safer Schools and Smart Schools) have been introduced to increase resilience and meet the CSSF's objectives. This paper assesses progress made through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 29 school leaders, government officials, and disaster risk reduction stakeholders. Implementation of the climate resilience programme in 2018 resulted in nationwide teacher training and production of school disaster plans. Limited successes have improved social resilience, but short‐term implementation due to COVID‐19 and a lack of a teacher knowledge base have presented challenges to the scheme's long‐term sustainability and the implementation of the CSSF's goals.

Implementation of comprehensive school safety: the risk reduction and resilience education pillar in State Senior High School 1 of Pacitan and Islamic State Senior High School 1 of Pacitan, Indonesia

Pacitan is vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis because it is located near the subduction zone between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates. So that it needs Disaster Risk Reduction efforts, one of the best measures is to implement the three pillars of Comprehensive School Safety. This study aims to analyze the implementation of the third pillar of Comprehensive School Safety, namely the Pillar of Risk Reduction and Resilience Education. The study was conducted at State Senior High School 1 of Pacitan and Islamic State Senior High School 1 of Pacitan because they directly face the Indian Ocean. This study used a quantitative approach with primary data obtained from filling out questionnaires by respondents. Respondents in this study were principals, teachers, and students involved in Scouting and Junior Red Cross in these two schools. The instrument was a questionnaire including teacher and education staff training, integration of disaster education into the curriculum, and extracurricular activities indicators. The results indicated that teacher and education staff and curriculum integration were not optimally carried out in these two schools. Furthermore, they have not yet established disaster mitigation extracurricular, but implementing disaster mitigation education was carried out through Scouts and Junior Red Cross.

Integrating psychosocial and WASH school interventions to build disaster resilience

This paper reviews the key disaster risk management (DRM) frameworks used for protecting children's wellbeing in disaster settings and identifies a lack of consideration for (1) psychosocial and (2) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) needs. It also demonstrates that these two domains are meaningfully linked, as access to adequate WASH provision may protect psychosocial wellbeing and promote community resilience. As support in both domains is vitally important to children's wellbeing, these gaps warrant immediate attention. Schools are uniquely situated to support these needs as part of disaster risk management and resilience building. Therefore, we consider the ASEAN Common Framework for Comprehensive School Safety (ACFCSS), which is an adaptation of the Comprehensive School Safety Framework (CSS) implemented in schools across the ASEAN region. While the CSS explicitly considers WASH, it only briefly considers psychosocial support; the ACFCCS lacks consideration of both domains. We argue revisions of the ACFCSS should prioritise the inclusion of psychosocial and WASH support and consider the role of schools beyond their capacity as educational institutions. We present an adaptation of ACFCSS with an additional framework pillar to guide this revision. Overall, we advocate for an integrated approach to DRM in schools based on an evidence-based, interdisciplinary perspective. We provide a series of evidence-based recommendations for DRM frameworks to consider, especially for those that intend to safeguard the wellbeing of children.

School safety and existing legal provision guiding in the context of Nepal

Disaster has impacted the education sector in Nepal. It has disrupted the teaching and learning system with an increased dropout rate of students. Furthermore, it has shaken the resilience of the local communities. Due to this situation, children are exposed to a vulnerable situation and lack a safe learning environment. To mitigate this risk, most of the countries have adopted the comprehensive safe school framework. It is expected to be effective measures in Disaster Risk Reduction in education. In the context of Nepal, Comprehensive School Safety (CSS) legal provisions have been formulated in principle but lack its implementation at school and local level. This article explores the existing guiding provisions contributing to safe schools. The desk study was conducted on the basis of published literature and analyzed. The findings revealed that education is seriously impacted by disaster each year, and there is an inadequate implementation of the existing legal provisions at the local and school level. In addition to that, after disasters situation, school dropouts has been increased, and equal access to education has been challenged and more importantly, teaching and learning process are not continued. This has questioned the effective implementation of CSS and challenged the existing legal provision.