Date of Conferral
10-22-2025
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Criminal Justice
Advisor
David DiBari
Abstract
With different types and sizes of school districts across the United States, not all federal safety and security recommendations will work for every school district. The school district stakeholders are important components to help administrators understand whether the current policies are working and provide recommendations for change. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and compare the perceptions of parents and school officials on safety practices at a rural school district in North Texas. Using routine activity theory, this study provided information on how current practices were perceived by stakeholders in ensuring a safe school environment. Data were collected using in-person semistructured interviews with six parents who had a student enrolled at the district and six school officials who were currently employed by the district. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes found in the data. Four themes emerged from parents: positive perceptions, consistency concerns, mixed feelings, and confidence in preparedness. Four themes emerged from school officials: positive perceptions, complexity concerns, mixed feelings, and confidence in preparedness. Key findings revealed overall positive, conditional support by both groups, with specific areas of inconsistency or needed improvement identified. Findings have implications for positive social change by providing a better understanding to district administration of how stakeholders perceive safety practices in a rural school district in North Texas for consideration in future policy changes and implementation.
Recommended Citation
Pettibon, Gidget S., "Comparing Parents' and School Officials' Perceptions of School Safety in a Rural Community in North Texas" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18556.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18556
