SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERNS: PERCEPTIONS OF PREPAREDNESS OF A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT A Dissertation by Robert G. Diepenbrock Master of Education, Wichita State University, 1999 Master of Science Education, Wichita State University, 1989 Bachelor of Arts, Kansas Newman College, 1982 Submitted to the Department of Educational Leadership and the faculty of the Graduate School of Wichita State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education December 2010 © Copyright 2010 by Robert G. Diepenbrock All Rights Reserved SAFETY AND SECURITY CONCERNS: PERCEPTIONS OF PREPAREDNESS OF A RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICT The following faculty members have examined the final copy of this dissertation for form and content, and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Education with a major in Educational Leadership. Jean Patterson, Committee Chair Mara Alagic, Committee Member Michael Birzer, Committee Member Randolph Ellsworth, Committee Member Robert Hull, Committee Member Accepted for the College of Education Sharon Iorio, Dean Accepted for the Graduate School J. David McDonald, Dean iii DEDICATION To my lovely wife who put up with the agonies and triumphs and was always in my corner. To my children, and my friends who gave me all of the love and support necessary to achieve this milestone. In loving memory of my beautiful daughter, Paige Allyn Diepenbrock, after whom I named the research site. In loving memory of my parents, especially my mom, who inspired me to get the education she was denied. Thank you all and I love you. iv Fear is the foundation of safety. Tertullian v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My entire committee deserves my immeasurable gratitude for their suggestions and support in completing this dissertation. I would like to thank Bob Hull for his willingness to assist me in so many ways with his expertise in school safety and security and the friendship we have developed through the Kansas Center for Safe and Prepared Schools. Jean Patterson, for whom I have the utmost respect, has given me incredible support, suggestions, and encouragement and provided an amazing turnaround. Along with Jean, I would like to thank other members of the faculty of the Educational Leadership Department under whose tutelage I learned so much; Mara, Randy, Glyn, Craig, Ray, and Jo. I grew so much in the process of attaining this goal and appreciate their friendship and inspiration so much. I also would like to thank my second family, the ―acceptable‖ cohort 16 and to Steve, who challenged me to get into this whole thing…we did it, brother! vi ABSTRACT School safety and security continues to be a concern in schools throughout the world as it is not a matter of if, but when a crisis will occur. There is a large segment of the population that attends schools in rural settings making preparedness in rural schools a timely topic. The purpose of this study was to examine a Midwestern rural school district to learn the perceptions of how prepared the school‘s staff felt they were for a crisis situation and to compare their perceptions with local emergency responders. A theoretical framework of protection-motivation theory (PMT) was used throughout the study. PMT postulates when sufficient fear exists and a reasonable probability a catastrophic event could occur, then one is motivated toward protection. It was concluded that the school district was well prepared for crisis situations they have faced, but was not prepared for disasters the school district has not faced. The rural school district has an ―it won‘t happen here‖ attitude regarding safety and security and as a result, has not kept crisis plans, training, and drills updated. The last thorough update took place shortly after the Columbine school shooting and subsequently, fear of a similar attack motivated the district to update their comprehensive crisis plan at that time. As that fear has waned, so has the preparedness of the district. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter Page 1. BACKGROUND ................................................................................................................ 1 Kansas Rural School Crises and Natural Disasters..................................... 4 Current Status of School Security and Safety in Rural Settings ................. 6 Defining Terms ........................................................................................... 9 Research Problem ................................................................................................. 11 Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................. 12 Research Questions ............................................................................................... 13 2. THEORTETICAL FRAMEWORK AND LITERATURE .............................................. 14 Theoretical Framework ......................................................................................... 14 Protection-Motivation Theory (PMT)....................................................... 14 Literature Review.................................................................................................. 17 People Crises ............................................................................................. 18 Natural Disasters ....................................................................................... 24 Physical Plant/Technological Hazards ...................................................... 25 Media Coverage ........................................................................................ 26 Readiness .................................................................................................. 27 Resources/Constraints ............................................................................... 30 Model Practices and Terminology ............................................................ 32 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ............................................................ 35 Research Site ............................................................................................. 36 Data Collection Plan ............................................................................................. 38 Interviews .................................................................................................. 38 Observations ............................................................................................. 40 Documents and Records ........................................................................... 41 Focus Groups ............................................................................................ 42 viii Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 43 Delimitations ......................................................................................................... 44 Ethics and Research Quality ................................................................................. 45 4. FINDINGS ........................................................................................................................ 48 Research Site: Paige Allyn School District .......................................................... 48 District Crisis Management Plan .......................................................................... 49 Perceptions of District Safety and Security Policies and Procedures ................... 53 Perceptions of Safety and Security in Paige Allyn District .................................. 58 Paige Allyn School District is Safe and Secure ........................................ 59 Feelings of Vulnerability and False Sense of Security ............................. 66 Concerns about Preparation for a Crisis ............................................................... 68 Accessibility of Schools ............................................................................ 68 Response to Crises .................................................................................... 73 Accountability for Student Safety during a Crisis .................................... 79 Communication of the Crisis Plan Before and During a Crisis ................ 82 Model Practices ..................................................................................................... 85 Crisis Plan Comparisons ....................................................................................... 88 Crisis Plan Template ................................................................................. 89 Paige Allyn‘s Crisis Plan Compared to the Template and Other District Plans .......................................................................................................... 90 Statewide Safety and Security Issues .................................................................... 94 5. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ........................................................................ 99 Protection-Motivation Theory and Paige Allyn‘s Readiness to Respond to Crises ............................................................................................................................... 99 The Columbine Effect ............................................................................. 100 Paige Allyn Perceived as Safe and Secure .............................................. 102 Severe Weather Protection ...................................................................... 103 Programs and Policies in Place ..............................................................