School Safety and Arming School Personnel: A Multistate Empirical Examination of Superintendents' Experiences

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Investigating District-Led Change

Abstract

In the last few years school shootings have become a yearly occurrence in the United States. This devastating reality has captured the attention of many in the United States, including the President of the United States, state legislatures, school boards, educators, parents, and students. School leaders have implemented multiple strategies to increase school safety, especially creating strategies to deter and stop incidents of mass shootings in schools. While opinions abound about arming school personnel, there are few empirical studies. This study sought to respond to the research question, what lessons have superintendents learned related to the practice of arming school district personnel? Superintendents in eight states in the US were interviewed and provided documents to respond to the research question.

Authors

• Jacob Daniel Skousen, University of Nevada - Las Vegas

• Spencer Weiler, University of Northern Colorado