Violence and Safety in Schools: Social workers report on the biggest threats and needs

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

Abstract

Issues with school safety and violence have raised concerns that warrant attention from researchers, policy makers, and practitioners alike (McMahon et al., 2024). This presentation explores how school social workers perceive and experience school safety and violence, centering the perspectives of a particular subset of school personnel that are often overlooked in the literature (Cornell et al., 2020). We highlight data-driven reflections and suggestions on how to improve school safety from the school social worker lens. Through a socio-ecological frame (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005), we will offer suggestions for preventing and mitigating school violence at the local, state, and federal levels.

This study analyzed responses to two open-ended survey questions from a total of 272 school social workers. The qualitative questions examined were: 1) What are the biggest safety issues facing educators and staff in your school? 2) What policies, procedures, resources, or interventions are needed to better prevent or address violence in your school?

This subset of data was part of a larger study by the American Psychological Association Task Force on Violence against Educators and School Personnel in collaboration with professional associations representing teachers, school psychologists, school social workers, and other school personnel. Data was collected online between August 2021 and June 2022. The task force defined a sample stratified by role (i.e., teacher, administrator, staff member), region (i.e., West, Midwest, South, Northeast), urbanicity (i.e., rural, town, suburban, urban), and school level (i.e., primary/elementary, middle, high school, combined). The original sample had participants from all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

Using descriptive and focused coding, we arrived at four key themes:

1) Concerns with school climate require strengthening of school-community connections. Respondents noted that safety concerns were primarily perceived as external, stemming from the families/parents and broader communities. Solutions were named around developing stronger school-community connections and engaging in training and support. This theme examines strengthening connections by ecosystem level: student-student, student-staff, family-staff, school-community.

2) Concerns with discipline, disruption and defiance can be addressed with consistency, accountability, and improved systems of communication. Respondents noted issues with uneven distribution of consequences, a lack of communication around incidents, and a lack of training with advanced and alternative discipline approaches. Solutions were named around the need for behavior supports, specific training, and stronger systems to navigate discipline.

3) Concerns with a lack of preparation to respond to challenging student behaviors can be partially addressed with adjustments to staffing and funding. Respondents noted feeling overburdened by their role and lacking in training to handle all of the elements of the job. They also noted the lack of staff support. Solutions were named around hiring a variety of roles including more mental health staff, social workers, counselors, restorative deans, and behavioral interventionists.

4) Student behavior, notably physical and verbal aggression, require interventions focused on school climate and community. Respondents noted how verbal and physical aggression often go hand-in-hand, and how such complex behavioral challenges require ecological approaches to supporting students and families.

Authors

• Natalie L. Fensterstock, University of California - Los Angeles

• Kate R Watson, Vista del Mar Child & Family Services

• Ron Avi Astor, University of California - Los Angeles