Perceptions Of School Safety Research Articles

“That Percentage of Safer”: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Homeschool Parents’ Perspectives of School Safety

ABSTRACT School safety has been widely studied from the perspectives of administrators, teachers, and students in traditional education settings. However, parents’ perceptions of school safety have been largely overlooked. Moreover, it is unknown how homeschool parents conceptualize safety in educational settings despite school safety being a known motivator for homeschooling. This mixed-methods study uses two years of national-level survey data from 2,124 respondents and four focus groups with thirteen participants to investigate homeschool parents’ school safety concerns. Supporting existing literature, we find that homeschool parents are likely to also be parents of special-needs learners. Findings suggest homeschool parents are not concerned with physical as much as psychological and academic safety. Moreover, homeschool parents tend to frame the concepts and concerns of school safety through the lens their own or their children’s prior traditional school experiences. Study limitations, practitioner implications, and future directions for research are discussed.

The association between teacher distress and student mental health outcomes: a cross-sectional study using data from the school mental health survey

BackgroundFew studies have examined the inter-relationships between teacher and student mental health. We aimed to examine associations between teacher distress and student mental health difficulties and if student perceptions of school safety moderate these associations.MethodData from 23,568 students in grades 6–12 and 1,478 teachers from 268 schools participating in the School Mental Health Surveys in Ontario, Canada, were used. Three-level (student, classroom, school) multivariable linear regression models were fit to examine associations between teacher distress and student internalizing and externalizing symptoms by elementary (grades 6–8) and secondary (grades 9–12) school. Statistical interactions were used to evaluate effect modification.ResultsSmall but statistically significant, positive associations were found between teacher distress and internalizing (b = 0.02; 95% CI [0.01, 0.04], p < 0.05) and externalizing symptoms (b = 0.03; 95% CI [0.01, 0.05], p < 0.001) among elementary students only. Student perceptions of school safety moderated the association between teacher distress and externalizing symptoms among elementary students, whereby the positive association was magnified among students reporting lower school safety.ConclusionsFindings from this study highlight the importance of concurrently addressing the mental health needs of educators and students. School safety represents a modifiable target for prevention and intervention efforts in schools that could serve to promote student mental health and mitigate potential risk factors in schools.

Balancing Students’ Perceptions of Safety and Emergency Preparedness: A Quasi-Experimental Test of Protection Motivation Theory as it Relates to Lockdown Drills

ABSTRACT Widespread concern and criticism exist about lockdown drills, which are currently employed in 98% of public K-12 schools in the United States. Despite the proliferation of these practices, however, research is only beginning to consider their impacts on students. This study explores students’ participation of lockdown drills through the lens of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) with particular focus on how their perceived safety and emergency preparedness impacts their likelihood of engagement with self-protective behaviors. Data were collected from high school students prior to and immediately after participation in a lockdown drill. Findings revealed that, consistent with PMT, perceptions of school safety were significantly correlated with use of self-protective and avoidant behaviors, which also was further mediated through perceived risk of victimization. Conversely, there was no direct or mediated relationship between these outcomes and perceived emergency preparedness. Broader takeaways from our findings, including implications for policy and practice, also are discussed.

The role of school safety perceptions in childhood asthma diagnosis disparities.

Childhood racial and ethnic asthma disparities in the United States are the consequence of structural inequities such as those in socioeconomic status (SES) and exposure to violence, but little research has explored the role of the school environment in perpetuating racial and ethnic disparities. This study examines associations between perceptions of unsafe school environments (USEs) and subsequent asthma diagnosis for elementary-aged children and the extent to which USE mediates relations from SES and race/ethnicity to asthma diagnosis for Black, Latinx, and non-Latinx White children. We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the association between USE and subsequent asthma diagnosis, controlling for child sex, and indirect effects of SES and race/ethnicity on asthma diagnosis via USE. For 6,532 children, USE in second grade positively predicted new asthma diagnoses in third grade and mediated the association between SES and new asthma diagnosis. SES and USE serially mediated the relationship between race/ethnicity and asthma diagnosis. Identifying as non-Latinx White was associated with a lower likelihood of subsequent asthma diagnosis via higher SES and lower USE while identifying as Black or Latinx was associated with a higher likelihood of subsequent asthma diagnosis via lower SES and higher USE. USE was associated with pediatric asthma diagnosis and mediated the relationship between SES and asthma diagnosis as well as race/ethnicity and asthma diagnosis. Findings highlight the need to consider USE as a social determinant of health for pediatric asthma. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

School Perceptions and Attendance for Children With Medical Complexity During COVID-19 Over Time.

Disparities in school attendance exist for children with medical complexity (CMC) due to COVID-19. Longitudinal changes in family-reported school safety perceptions and predictors of full-time, in-person school attendance are unknown. This was a prospective, longitudinal cohort study with 3 survey waves (June 2021-June 2022) among English- and Spanish-speaking families of CMC aged 5 to 17 years and pre-pandemic school attendance. Changes in Health Belief Model perceptions and full-time in-person school attendance were estimated using multivariate generalized linear modeling with repeated measures. Among 1601 respondents (52.9% of 3073 invited), 86.8% participated in all 3 surveys. School safety perceptions improved with time; however, perceived susceptibility to COVID-19 increased. Full-time in-person school attendance rose from 48.4% to 90.0% from wave 1 to 3 (p < .0001), and was associated with motivation, benefits, and cues. For example, families with low compared to high motivation for in-person attendance had 76% versus 98% predicted probability for child's school attendance, respectively at wave 3 (p < .0001). Probability of full-time in-person school attendance was associated with several health belief model perceptions. School health policy and programs may benefit from promoting family motivation, benefits, and cues during future respiratory illness epidemics including COVID-19. In-person school attendance improved for CMC over time. Opportunities exist to continue optimizing in-person attendance and family-perceived safety for CMC at school.

Considering Race in Teacher Well-Being

Despite evidence that teachers’ professional experiences are racialized, few studies have quantitatively examined possible racial disparities in teachers’ job satisfaction. Using data from a nationally representative survey of teachers in the United States, we find that Black teachers report significantly lower job satisfaction than their White colleagues. Moreover, we find that teacher perceptions of school safety are the primary predictor of this gap in job satisfaction. We argue that centralizing race and racialized experiences in consideration of teacher job satisfaction will open new sites of inquiry in educational research and can guide educational policy to promote equity in K–12 schools.

Which LGBTQ+ Inclusive School Strategies Support LGBTQ+ Student, Staff and Parent Perceptions of School Climate? A Latent Class Analysis

ABSTRACT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) students, LGBTQ+ staff and LGBTQ+ parents report schools can be unsafe and unwelcoming environments. Yet few studies have explored LGBTQ+ student, LGBTQ+ staff and LGBTQ+ parent perceptions of the school climate simultaneously or adopted person-centered perspectives. The present study sought to identify LGBTQ+ related strategies adopted by schools, and whether these were differentially related to perceptions of school safety and community. Data were collected in 2021 via online sampling of the current Australian school (1,937) students, (124) staff and (75) parents. Four distinct inclusion strategy profiles were identified via latent class analysis: Comprehensive Inclusion, Curriculum & Pedagogical Inclusion, Extracurricular Inclusion and Limited Inclusion. Just under half (48.2%) of schools lacked LGBTQ+ strategies, with participants from these schools reporting greater safety concerns. Our findings suggest that curriculum and pedagogical strategies are likely the most effective and should be a key focus for improving the school climate. Schools that employed LGBTQ+ affirming practices and included LGBTQ+ resources and activities, like Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs), saw improved perceptions of safety and community.

LGBTQ+ student, staff, and parent perceptions of Australian school climates

AbstractLesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender/gender diverse, or queer (LGBTQ+) students, staff and parents can each perceive school as challenging environments. These challenges have typically been explored within three disparate bodies of research, however. Using a school climate lens, this study aimed to explore how LGBTQ+ student (n = 1926), staff (n = 198), and parent (n = 180) perceptions of school safety, interpersonal challenges and self-harm differ by roles, school types, school location, and gender modality. ANOVA and chi-square analyses showed that although LGBTQ+ students, staff and parents experience similar concerns in school safety, interpersonal challenges, and self-harm, students have higher prevalence on all indicators. Students in government/public, religious affiliated schools, and non-metropolitan schools had particularly high concerns, as did transgender and gender diverse students. This study offers important implications for school-wide interventions to promote positive school climates, with particular focus on school safety, anti-bullying, and self-harm, targeted to the needs of multiple members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Supplemental Material for The Role of School Safety Perceptions in Childhood Asthma Diagnosis Disparities

Supplemental Material for The Role of School Safety Perceptions in Childhood Asthma Diagnosis Disparities

Sex and Racial/Ethnic Differences in School Security Measures, Bullying Victimization, and Perceived School Safety: Implications for Pediatric Health Care

Using the 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey dataset, this study examined the association between the types of school security measures and students' bullying victimization and perceived school safety. Using logistic regression and ordinary least square regression analyses, the study addressed whether these associations vary by sex and race/ethnicity, as most research has treated sex and race/ethnicity as covariates. The study found that none of the security measures were associated with bullying victimization among the total sample. However, there were sex and racial differences in the association between security measures and bullying victimization. There were also sex and racial/ethnic variations in the association between security measures and perceived school safety. Scholars, health care practitioners, and policymakers must reflect and reconsider whether increasing school security and control would contribute to the safety and well-being of racial/ethnic minority students in school.

Assessing the Relationship Between Exposure to Violence and Perceptions of School Safety and Emergency Preparedness in the Context of Lockdown Drills

ABSTRACT Although lockdown drills are a practice widely used in K-12 public schools across the United States to prepare students and staff to respond to acts of violence, research has only just begun to consider the impacts of these practices on those who participate in them. This study adds to the growing body of literature by examining the potential impact of students’ exposure to violence (ETV) in their school on perceptions of safety and emergency preparedness in the context of lockdown drills. The findings indicate that ETV decreases both safety and preparedness perceptions. The association between perceived school safety and ETV, however, weakens over time and may be lessened by participation in drills and associated training. Implications for policy and practice are also discussed.

Understanding School Safety: Perceptions, Realities, and Risk Factors

This research investigated the perceptions of school safety among students and explored the prevalence of weapons-related incidents, as well as potential risk factors contributing to weapon possession in schools. The study encompassed a comprehensive analysis of data collected from a diverse sample of 191 students across various grade levels in Balite National High School, a public school in the Philippines. Findings revealed that while a majority of students report feeling safe at school most of the time, a significant number are aware of other students carrying weapons, indicating a discrepancy between perceived safety and the reality of weapons in the school environment. The research identifies various risk factors contributing to students feeling pressured or considering carrying weapons, including trouble or conflicts at school, academic challenges, problems at home, aggressive behavior, and feeling disconnected from school. Additionally, demographic differences in potential risk factors are examined, revealing no significant variations based on grade level, age, or sex. These findings underscore the importance of proactive measures to address safety concerns, promote positive school environments, and provide support for students facing challenges that may lead to weapon possession. The research provides valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders in developing effective strategies to enhance school safety and promote the overall well-being of students.

Diversity protects: The role of school and classroom racial/ethnic diversity on the experience of peer victimization during the middle school years.

The effects of school and classroom racial/ethnic diversity on peer victimization, self-blame, and perceived school safety were examined in a racially/ethnically diverse sample of students followed over the three years of middle school. Sixth grade students (N = 5,991, 52% female; M = 11.63 years) were recruited from 26 urban middle schools that systematically varied in racial/ethnic diversity. Based on student self-report, the sample was 31.6% Latino/Mexican, 19.6% White, 17.4%, Multiethnic/Biracial, 13% East/Southeast Asian, 10.9% Black, and 6.9% Other very small racial/ethnic groups. Each school had a structural diversity score based on the number and size of racial/ethnic groups enrolled. Using a novel method based on course schedules and class rosters, each student's individual exposure to diversity in their classes was assessed to capture dynamic diversity. Latent growth modeling showed that structural school diversity and dynamic classroom diversity were both related to less victimization at the start of middle school and a decrease over time. Dynamic classroom diversity buffered the associations between victimization and self-blame and between victimization and perceiving school as unsafe. Dynamic classroom diversity was more protective than structural school diversity. Implications for practice, intervention and policies to promote school racial/ethnic diversity were discussed.

Relationship between students' sense of school belonging with principals' perceptions of school discipline, and teachers' perceptions of school safety in TIMSS 2019

Relationship between students' sense of school belonging with principals' perceptions of school discipline, and teachers' perceptions of school safety in TIMSS 2019

Sexual orientation and mental health in a US cohort of children: a longitudinal mediation study.

Sexual minorities, including children, are at increased risk for adverse mental health outcomes compared to their heterosexual peers, but longitudinal studies are needed to determine the factors that explain the associations between sexual minority identification and adverse mental health outcomes during this developmental period. We examined longitudinal associations between sexual orientation and mental health over 2 years in a US cohort of children (aged 9-10 at baseline) and two explanatory factors (increased social problems such as getting teased and decreased perceived school safety). We hypothesized that beginning to identify as gay/bisexual and consistently identifying as gay/bisexual would be associated with increases in internalizing (e.g. depression, anxiety) and externalizing (e.g. aggression) problems compared to consistently identifying as heterosexual, and these associations would be partially explained by increased social problems and decreased perceived school safety. We used data from Waves 1-3 of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study. The analytic sample included 5,574 children (46.0% female; 55.1% non-Hispanic White). Beginning to identify as gay/bisexual was associated with increased internalizing/externalizing problems, and consistently identifying as gay/bisexual was associated with increased internalizing problems, compared to consistently identifying as heterosexual. For those who consistently identified as gay/bisexual, increased disparities in internalizing problems were partially explained by increased social problems and decreased perceived school safety, and increased disparities in externalizing problems were partially explained by increased social problems. These findings suggest the health disparities affecting sexual minority children include both internalizing and externalizing problems, and social problems and feeling unsafe at school may be contributing factors.

Black adolescents' racial discrimination and suicide behaviors: Testing perceived school safety as a protective moderator.

The current study examined associations between Black adolescents' (Mage = 15.55, SD = 1.23) racial discrimination and suicide behaviors (i.e., suicide ideation, suicide plan, and suicide attempts), and whether perceived school safety was a protective moderator. Furthermore, we tested gender differences in relations, which were not significant. Racial discrimination predicted greater suicide behaviors, and school safety informed less suicide behaviors. School safety moderated the relation between discrimination and suicide plan, such that at low school safety, discrimination predicted having a suicide plan but was not significant at high school safety. Furthermore, school safety moderated the relation between discrimination and suicide attempts. At low school safety, discrimination predicted more suicide attempts, but was not significant at high school safety.

Single-item principal stress and coping measures: Concurrent and predictive validity and comparisons to teacher measures.

The present study analyzed concurrent and predictive validity of single-item scales for assessing principal stress and coping. We examined concurrent and prospective relations among stress and coping single-items with principal job satisfaction, overall health, perceptions of school safety, and principal leadership self-efficacy. We also compared principals and teachers on their stress and coping levels using the same single-item scales. Consistent with the literature on teacher stress and coping, the correlations of principal coping with different outcomes-job satisfaction, overall health, leadership efficacy, and safety perceptions-were stronger in comparison to the correlations between principal stress and those same outcomes. In regression models with both stress and coping, only principal coping predicted concurrent and future principal job satisfaction and overall health, as well as change in those outcomes. Coping also predicted concurrent but not future perceptions of school safety. Stress and coping did not consistently predict concurrent or future measures of leadership self-efficacy. Last, we found that principals reported even higher levels of stress than the well-documented high levels reported by teachers. We discuss areas for further research and potential use of these measures. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Spotlighting racism in schools: Teacher mentors and the mediating effect of school safety.

Youth are more likely to succeed when they feel safe at school and have access to caring relationships with adults. Systemic racism interrupts access to these assets. Within schools, racially/ethnically minoritized youth encounter policies rooted in racism, leading to decreased perceptions of school safety. Having a teacher mentor may mitigate some of the harmful effects of systemic racism and discriminatory practices. Yet, teacher mentors may not be accessible to all students. In this study, the authors tested a putative explanatory hypothesis for differences between Black and white children's access to teacher mentors. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Linear regression models were used to predict access to teacher mentors, and a mediational analysis was conducted to determine the effect of school safety on the relationship between race and teacher mentor access. Results indicate that students from higher SES backgrounds and those with parents who have greater educational attainment are more likely to have a teacher mentor. Furthermore, Black students are less likely than white students to have a teacher mentor, and school safety mediates that relationship. The implications of this study suggest that challenging institutional racism and structures may improve perceptions of school safety and teacher mentor accessibility.

More is Not Always Better: Examining the Cumulative Effects of School Safety Policies on Perceptions of School Safety for Youth of Color

ABSTRACT In response to fears regarding high-profiled school shootings and firearm violence, schools transformed dramatically, implementing school safety measures such as school police, armed security, metal detectors, and active shooter drills. This study used nationally representative data to assess the relationship between school safety policies and student perceptions of school safety for Youth of Color in comparison to non-Hispanic, White youth. Results show that an increase in the total number of school safety policies – as well as specific types of school safety policies (i.e. armed security personnel and student search practices) – are associated with lower perceptions of school safety for Youth of Color relative to White youth. Findings may inform school administrators’ decisions regarding implementation of school safety policies to prevent school violence, including school-level decisions around firearm injury prevention efforts.

The structure of adolescent mental health problems: The role of effortful control and school safety.

Adolescent mental health problems are widespread; however, there are still very few data on risk and protective factors for general and specific psychopathology. This study examined the structure of common mental health problems in Russian adolescents and the associations of temperamental effortful control and perceived school safety to the latent factors of adolescent mental health, taking age and gender into account. Data were collected on 1850 adolescents (53% female) aged 12-18 using the self-report Eurasian Child Mental Health Study questionnaire, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the abbreviated Effortful Control scale of the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire-Revised. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the structure of common mental health problems and to examine the associations with age, effortful control, and school safety. The five-correlated-factors model comprising internalizing, body dissatisfaction, psychosomatics, externalizing, and substance use, and the bifactor-(S-1) models with internalizing and externalizing as reference domains and four specific factors showed an adequate fit to the data and sufficient reliability and validity. Analyses established full metric invariance of these models across gender. Effortful control showed a general association with adolescent mental health problems and a specific association with externalizing problems. School safety showed specific negative associations with externalizing and substance use and with girls' internalizing problems. These findings provide a strong basis for further cross-cultural research into the structure and determinants of adolescent mental health and highlight the need for effective interventions.