Seven School-Related Disasters - Lessons for Policymakers and School Personnel

Oct 15, 2026

Students depend heavily on policymakers’ and school personnel’s emergency planning and evacuation decisions when disasters occur. This study examines selected cases of school-related disasters to show how school-context factors intersect with natural hazards and shape outcomes for schoolchildren. Purposeful maximal sampling ensured geographic diversity, varied instructional contexts, and different initiating hazards. Within-case and cross-case thematic analyses identified six overarching factors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Children spend a large percentage

| education policy analysis archives
A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal | | | --- | --- | | Arizona State University | | | Volume 26 Number 100 August 13 , 2018 ISSN 1068-2341 | | Seven School-Related Disasters: Lessons for Policymakers and School Personnel Laura M. Stough Donghyun Kang & Sungyoon Lee Texas A&M University United States Citation: Stough, L. M., Kang, D., & Lee, S. (2018) . Seven school-related disasters: Lessons for policymakers and school personnel. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 26(100) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.26.3698](http://dx.doi.org/10.14507/epaa.26.3698) Abstract: Students are highly dependent on the emergency planning and evacuation decisions made by policymakers and school personnel when disasters occur. The purpose of this study was to examine selected cases of school-related disasters, highlighting how factors of the school context intersected with natural hazards and subsequently affected schoolchildren. Purposeful maximal sampling was used to select school-related disaster cases for their geographical diversity, different instructional contexts, and types of initiating hazards. Among these , seven cases with broad considerations pertaining to educational policy and safe school environments were selected. A within-case analysis was conducted of each case, followed by a cross-case thematic analysis. Six overarching factors were found in the thematic synthesis of the findings. First, school safety practices apply anytime children are under the supervision of school personnel, making knowledge of emergency procedures across multiple types of school settings essential. Second, elements that place schoolchildren at risk also place school personnel at risk. Third, teachers and school administrators need to be well-trained and knowledgeable enough to make independent decisions in emergency situations. Fourth, children must know emergency procedures so they may take independent action, given teachers are also at-risk during disasters. Fifth, most school disasters can be prevented through safe school construction. Finally, it is the responsibility of policymakers to ensure schools are safe learning environments for children. By participating in and advocating for a culture of preparedness, educational policymakers can better protect schoolchildren, as well as school personnel, in disaster situations. Keywords: disaster; schools; policy; emergency; teachers; administrators Siete desastres relacionados con la escuela: Lecciones para legisladores y personal de la escuela Resumen: Los estudiantes son muy dependientes en la planificación de emergencia y laevacuación de las decisiones tomadas por los políticos y la escuela cuando los desastres se producen. El propósito de este estudio fue examinar los casos de los problemas relacionados con la enfermedad y mostrar cómo los factores de la intersección del contexto intersectorial con las poblaciones naturales y la afectación de la escuela. En el caso de los niños, los niños y las niñas, Se han encontrado seis argumentos. En primer lugar, las normas de seguridad de la escuela aplican a los niños de edad bajo la supervisiónde la escuela de trabajo, haciendo un seguimiento de los procedimientos de seguridad através de varios tipos de la escuela de configuración esencial. En segundo lugar, los elementos que sitúan a los escolares en el riesgo también a la escuela en el riesgo. En tercer lugar, los maestros y los maestros de la escuela necesitan estar bien informados y bien informados para tener decisiones independientes en situaciones de emergencia. En el casode los niños, los hijos deben saber los procedimientos de emergencia que pueden llevar a cabo la acción independiente, dado que los maestros también están en riesgo durante los desastres. La edad, la mayoría de los profesionales de la salud pueden prevenirse a través de la escuela de seguros. Por lo tanto, es la responsabilidad de los polí

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To examine selected cases of school-related disasters and highlight how school-context factors intersect with natural hazards to affect schoolchildren.

How were the disaster cases selected for analysis?

Using purposeful maximal sampling to ensure geographic diversity, different instructional contexts, and varied types of initiating hazards.

What analytical approach did the study use after selecting the cases?

A within-case analysis for each case, followed by a cross-case thematic analysis to synthesize findings.

Oct 15, 2026

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