A new survey of students in California and across the country finds widespread anxiety around general safety and disaster preparedness.
The San Francisco-based nonprofit YouthTruth surveyed almost 200,000 students and 20,000 educators last school year. It found one in five middle and high school students and one in four elementary school students often worry about their safety at school.
David McKinney, vice president of YouthTruth, said schools need to be highly responsive when someone reports a safety concern.
“One question that we think all district leaders should be asking themselves is, ‘Do our students and staff believe that their safety concerns are taken seriously?'” McKinney suggested. “What formal and informal channels exist for students to actually report their safety concerns? How effective are those channels?”
The data show a big disconnect between the way staff and students feel about disaster response. Only 45% of high school students agree their school has taught them how to stay safe in a natural disaster, compared to 80% of staff.
Camilla Valerio, lead researcher and analyst for YouthTruth, said schools need to give students some hands-on training so they know what to do in an emergency.
“School leaders should look at their students more as active participants in these safety procedures versus passive participants,” Valerio recommended. “Schools are a learning ground, and hopefully the skills that they’re learning within that environment can be translated into their communities.”
The data show students often reported feeling less safe in the bathroom or on the school bus.
Xochitl Mendez, director of transportation for the Keppel Union School District in the Antelope Valley region of Los Angeles County, said kids feel safe when they feel seen.
“Students may not see the behind-the-scenes work like safety compliance, driver training, inspections, and route planning, but they do feel the impact.” Mendez noted. “They know our transportation staff truly care. Every decision centers on their safety, because students feel safest when they feel recognized and valued.”
The data also found Black, Indigenous and Latino students worry about their safety at higher rates than white or Asian American students.
