SchoolReach Releases Results of National "State of School Safety" Survey
St. Louis, MO (PRWEB) May 28, 2014 -- More than 88% of school administrators had to communicate with parents about a safety-related incident within the past 12 months, according to a new national survey of K-12 school leaders.
The “State of School Safety in America” survey was completed by more than 350 high-ranking school administrators across 48 states and conducted by SchoolReach, a nationally known provider of school communications technology.
Survey respondents provided their views on a broad range of safety issues including school shooting preparedness, lockdown operations, bullying prevention, and emergency response.
“According to our survey, school leaders are communicating with parents about all kinds of safety-related issues, including lockdowns, incidents of violence, and evacuations,” said Paul Langhorst, co-founder of SchoolReach. “At the same time, many school leaders feel less-than-confident in their ability to carry out certain types of safety procedures.”
As an example, Mr. Langhorst said that 93% of survey respondents had received student reports about bullying or cyberbullying. Meanwhile, survey respondents identified bullying as one of the issues their schools and districts were less prepared to handle.
The survey also discovered that school leaders are divided on some key issues around threat and incident response.
Survey respondents were split on the question of whether to allow staffers to carry guns while on campus. Some expressed hope that bans on carrying could change, while others said they wouldn’t consider allowing staff to carry firearms on campus.
School leaders also gave differing responses on the question of whether to maintain "zero tolerance" behavioral policies as a means to prevent school violence.
“Educators are still struggling with safety and security concerns, even after all of the dramatic incidents of school violence in recent months and the changes schools have made to safety equipment and procedures in response,” Mr. Langhorst said. “With our survey, we've identified the most common topics of concern and the frequency with which administrators are talking about them.”
School leaders can download a summary of the “State of School Safety in America” survey results by visiting the SchoolReach website at schoolreach.com/safetyreport.
About SchoolReach
SchoolReach is a leading provider of school notification systems and anonymous bully reporting solutions. Thousands of K-12 schools, districts, and early childhood programs across every U.S. state use the SchoolReach notification system to send voice, text, e-mail, and social media messages to parents. SchoolReach has helped schools deliver every conceivable type of school safety communication, including lockdown notices, evacuation alerts, and parent reunification instructions. In addition, SchoolReach’s powerful anonymous bully reporting technology has helped schools from coast to coast prevent incidents of bullying, fighting, school violence, and other inappropriate behavior. Learn more about how SchoolReach can enhance your school safety efforts by visiting schoolreach.com.
Margaret Schatz, SchoolReach, http://www.schoolreach.com, +1 314-748-5087, [email protected]
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