School Paraprofessional’s Perceptions of School Safety: Qualitative Analysis

• In Event: The Perils of Educating: A National Sample of School Personnel Perceptions of School Violence

Abstract

Violence directed towards school staff has been increasing in the US, which is a lead reason why school personnel are leaving the profession (Miller, 2023). Whereas most interventions and empirical investigations focus on how violence affects teachers, paraprofessionals are also greatly affected, as they are often tasked with supporting the educational, behavioral, and emotional needs of students, especially in special education contexts (Reddy et al., 2021). Paraprofessionals serve a critical role in supporting the broad needs of the student population, including students with special needs and disabilities, who can be more prone to experiencing violence in schools (Kaplan & Cornell, 2005). Paraprofessionals’ views therefore would better inform school safety interventions. This study analyzes responses from 448 paraprofessionals who serve in a variety of educational contexts, including supporting students with special needs and disabilities, as well as more specific subject experts. Qualitative responses to questions on the extent that safety is a concern in their school and their recommendations to address school safety were coded using inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Paraprofessionals expressed a spectrum of perceptions, of which the following key themes emerged. One major theme was the safety concern from student behaviors specifically in their schools. Paraprofessionals identified a range of behaviors students exhibited in their schools that made them feel unsafe, from not following directions and acting impulsively, “Disrespectful student behavior and students listening” to the threat or instances of harmful aggression from students “Trying to protect yourself and other students from being hit.” The theme of lack of follow-up or consequences after identifying safety concerns was also prominent among paraprofessionals, sometimes too articulated as a lack of discipline, “No follow through on consequences when a student says, ‘I want to kill someone today!’” A prominent theme transcendent across themes among paraprofessionals was the feeling of not being valued, in terms of their personal safety, and not being heard when it comes to voicing concerns and recommendations,“The safety of the teachers and staff isn't taken seriously. Students can almost kill you. There's no protection for us”.

Findings highlight paraprofessional’s concerns around the growing problem of school violence and provide insights into solutions they deem as most effective. Paraprofessionals are distinct from educators and often have much less power within schools, where they are often ignored or deprioritized due to their lower hierarchy in the school organizational structure.

Authors

• Sawyer Hogenkamp, University of California - Los Angeles

• Gordon Capp, California State University - Fullerton