Kansas Principals’ Perceptions of Crisis Preparedness

Abstract

Explored in this study were Kansas principals’ perceptions of crisis preparednessin the following seven areas: access and identification, internal security, safetypreparedness development, safety preparedness student activities, safety preparednessfirst responder activities, levels of preparedness, and influences on efforts towards safetypreparedness. Data for this study were collected from city, suburban, town, and ruralprincipals in Kansas. Results indicated that principals perceived crisis preparednessactivities associated with access and identification were present occasionally or often intheir buildings during the 2019-2020 school year. However, during the 2019-2020 schoolyear in their buildings, Kansas principals perceived that crisis preparedness activitiesassociated with internal security were occasionally present in their buildings, crisispreparedness development associated with safety preparedness were not practiced biannually or quarterly, students were never or occasionally informed or drilled on thecomponents of the school’s crisis preparedness plan, first responders were never oroccasionally involved with drills on the components of the school’s crisis preparednessplan, their schools were not well or extremely prepared for a crisis, and safetypreparedness efforts to maintain a safe and secure school were slightly to somewhatinfluenced by external and internal factors. The results related to whether building levelor location affected Kansas principals’ perceptions of crisis preparedness were mixed.Building level affected Kansas principals’ perceptions of crisis preparedness regardingaccess and identification and internal security in their buildings during the 2019-2020school year. Finally, the results indicated that building location affected Kansasprincipals’ perceptions with regards to access and identification, internal security, preparedness development, and external and internal factors during the 2019-2020 schoolyear. Principals may use results from this study when reviewing, training, and updatingtheir specific crisis preparedness plans.