A Qualitative Descriptive Study of School Safety Plans in K-12 Schools

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the perceptions of school principals regarding creating a safety plan that addresses school safety in K-12 schools in Illinois. The conceptual model that guided this study was the M-PHAT model from the National Association of School Psychologists Framework for Safe and Successful Schools. The theory that guided this research was Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. The following research questions were used to guide the study and to address the problem statement: RQ1) How do K-12 school principals describe the process for developing a plan that addresses physical safety in order to create safe schools? RQ2) How do K-12 school principals describe the process for developing a plan that addresses the psychological effects of school violence in order to create safe schools? Using semi-structured interviews and focus groups, the study sample included 24 K-12 school principals in Illinois. The corroboration of the data generated from the thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews and focus groups transcripts assisted the researcher in establishing five themes in answering the research questions. The five major themes that emerged were: (1) Incorporating the process of communicating and collaborating with stakeholders; (2) Having trained staff in place that can provide interventions and support to students; (3) Regularly evaluation the feasibility and effectiveness of safety measure in place; (4) Checking in regularly to build a positive rapport and create trust between staff and students; and (5) Providing students access to social-emotional support services. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]