Journal of K-12 Educational Research 13 TEACHERS’ PERSPECTIVES OF THEIR ABILITY TO RESPOND TO AN ACTIVE SHOOTER ON CAMPUS Mandi Murphy, Ed.D. Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2024, VOL. 8, ISSUE 1 dbu.edu/doctoral/edd Introduction All children in the United States have the right to a free public education no matter their background, religion, race, financial status, or citizenship (American Civil Liberties Union, 2022). State and federal legislation regarding school safety are often proposed; however, as bills are introduced there seems to be little input from teachers who are the people protecting students. There is a lack of evidence that the policies in place prepare educators to protect students (Jonson, 2017; Petzold, 2020). Summary of Literature Review Student learning is the primary purpose of school; however, according to McLeod (2020), for students to learn, they must feel safe. Violence in schools, reported violence, students’ fear of guns, or other misbehavior creates an inability to learn or attend school (Bast & DeSimone, 2019). The widespread news of each school shooting increases parents’ fear causing schools and the government to upgrade schools to protect students (Lavoie, 2015). The Emergency Operations Plans (EOPs) are developed and audited for districts (Texas School Safety Center [TxSSC], 2022a). TxSSC also provides schools with the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) that includes five specific actions to be performed during an emergency incident: Hold, Secure, Lockdown, Evacuate, Shelter (TxSSC, 2022b). Acknowledging the gap of time between the first violent shot and the officer engaging the shooter creates a void when students and adults are most vulnerable; the seconds that comprise this void are often when students are killed, injured, and traumatized (National Threat Assessment Center, 2019). Summary of Study The purpose of the current study was to discover teachers’ perceptions of their ability to respond on their current campus based on state and federal legislation, local policies, and the training they receive. This is important because teachers did not state that an armed person on campus increased their ability to respond. School leaders will need to support teachers by implementing training when students are not present to improve teachers’ confidence in the planning, prevention, and mitigation of an armed shooter. Research Question 1 (RQ1) What are the perceptions of teachers regarding school safety and security? The current study generated data from participants about their experiences, schools, school crisis training, and teachers’ perceptions of their own self-efficacy in an active shooter event. An overall concern amongst the participants was a lack of fundamental knowledge. Teachers know the protocols of what they are supposed to do in a drill. However, there is a lack of teacher confidence in their ability to deviate from the SRP model. Eighty-one percent of teachers did not feel confident that they would know what to do if their first response, which is to hide, was not successful. According to the data generated in the current study, teachers shared a lack of understanding of their District Emergency Plan. None of the participants served on the Safety Committee, and only 12% could name a teacher who served. The protocols listed in the Emergency Plan are the SRP. Most teachers acknowledged that flyers are posted in the classrooms and reviewed at
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