Abstract

School violence continues to be a topic of concern for not only parents, students and teachers, but for federal and state officials as well. There has been an increase in active shooter incidents on school campuses since the late 1990s (Riedman & O'Neill, 2020; Jonson, 2017; Langman, 2009). On February 14, 2018, a former student, entered the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. He opened fire on students, staff and killed 17 people. Additionally, 17 others were injured, making this the deadliest secondary school shooting in the history of the United States (Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, 2019). The incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School prompted swift action by the Florida Legislature in the months following the incident. The 2018 Florida Legislature passed the Marjory Stoneman High School Public Safety Act (MSDHSPSA), also known as Senate Bill 7026 (SB 7026). This bill required the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) to establish student mental health awareness training for school personnel and established the implementation of increased security measures at schools in Florida (Florida Senate, 2018). The purpose of this study was to analyze teacher perception of school climate and determine if there was a difference in teacher perception of school climate before and after the implementation of the MSDHSPSA in Florida. School climate survey data was analyzed from 118 elementary schools in a large Florida school district from 2016 to 2020. There was a statistically significant increase in the school climate survey over time and a statistically significant increase in school resources and support systems and how well schools use results for continuous improvement. However, socio-economic status did not moderate the effects of the MSDHSPSA on school climate.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2022

Semester

Summer

Advisor

Gordon, William

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College

College of Community Innovation and Education

Department

Educational Leadership and Higher Education

Degree Program

Educational Leadership; Executive Track

Identifier

CFE0009269; DP0026873

URL

https://purls.library.ucf.edu/go/DP0026873

Language

English

Release Date

August 2027

Length of Campus-only Access

5 years

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Campus-only Access)

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