Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Criminal Justice

Advisor

Tony Gaskew

Abstract

The prevalence of mass school shootings in K–12 classrooms has ignited ongoing conversations about arming teachers in school settings to prevent future tragedies and provide a safe learning environment for students. This research study aimed to understand Black parents’ perception of armed teachers in school settings. Critical race theory provided the framework to explore the impact of race and implicit bias on teacher–student social interactions when policies permit teachers to carry firearms. Accordingly, the research questions explored Black parents’ perceptions of policies allowing armed teachers in school settings. A basic qualitative design was utilized with a purposeful and snowball sample method. Data were collected via audio-recorded semistructured interview questions of 10 participants. Data were transcribed using Rev.com, and NVivo was utilized to facilitate the data analysis. A six-step, inductive thematic analysis of the data was conducted, and six themes emerged. The overall results indicated that all participants perceived that Black students are already impacted negatively by persistent patterns of mistreatment and having a loaded firearm in the hands of teachers coupled with implicit bias would exacerbate the racial violence experienced by Black students. The recommendation is for future researchers to continue to explore the impact of the arming teacher policy on Black students. The findings positively impact social change by encouraging lawmakers and school district leaders to review their stances on the arming teacher policy and focus on finding better alternatives for responding to and preventing mass school shootings that do not subject Black students to additional harm.

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