School Administrator Understandings and Experiences With Active Shooter Protocols (Poster 4)

• In Event: Friday Poster Session 7:45 am
  In Poster Session: Timely Leadership Issues From Various Socio, Cultural, and Racial Perspectives

Abstract

Active shooter drills are commonplace in PK-Grade 12 public schools in the United States despite scarce literature examining drill practices, drill effectiveness, and, in particular to the present study, the relationship between such drills and school administrators’ experiences with implementation. The present study examines how 188 public school administrators in Virginia understand, plan, and experience active shooter/lockdown drills in PK- Grade 12 schools as mandated by Virginia state policy. The central research question guiding this project is as follows: What are the experiences of PreK-Grade 12 school administrators charged with the decision-making, procedural implementation, and/or debriefing practices of school lockdown drills? Findings indicate that, while drills are performed as legislated, vast differences exist in implementation which impact student and staff experiences.

Author

• Angela L. Eckhoff, Old Dominion University