Background: Ongoing masking of K-12 children has not been universally accepted despite recommendation from public health authorities. In states without universal mask mandates for schools, district administrators are forced to make masking decisions under significant local political pressures. There is a call for endpoints to masking to allow…

Preventing mass shootings in the United States, particularly those occurring in school settings, is an important priority for families, government leaders and officials, public safety agencies, mental health professionals, educators, and local communities. What does the evidence say about how to detect, prevent, and respond to these tragic events?…

Objective: Despite evidence-based interventions for the psychiatric disorders that often precede suicidality, suicide remains a leading cause of death among youth. There has been increased interest in whether preventive interventions targeting early risk factors lead to decreased distal risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB). We examined…

There have been substantial advances in the development of states' education data systems over the past 20 years, supported by large investments from the federal government. However, the availability of modern data systems has not translated into meaningful improvements in how consequential state policies, such as funding and accountability…

In recent decades, racial disparities in K-12 disciplinary outcomes in the United States have garnered considerable attention. Empirical studies have established that schools' discipline policies and practices play an important role; however, the lack of an integrated theoretical framework inhibits the discourse on bias and discrimination as a…

Youth suicide and related behaviors continue to be a significant public health concern in the USA. Multiple approaches across settings, including schools, are required to address this multi-faceted public health concern. The Texas Suicide Safer Schools Report recommended that districts post suicide prevention information on their websites as one…

The digital world, emerging in the age of technology, presents both positive and negative aspects for every user. However, it is widely recognized that child users represent the most vulnerable group due to their ongoing cognitive and psychological development. This underscores the significance of parents acquiring digital parenting skills. This…

The purpose of this literature review was to identify scholarship pertaining to teachers' vocal health and to discuss implications for music teachers. The review includes studies where researchers have addressed vocal health issues for K-12 teachers of all subjects as well as issues unique to music teachers. Risk factors, measurement, and…

As eating disorders symptomatology often begins during adolescence, schools have a unique and essential role. Specifically, schools can be at the forefront in the intervention and prevention of eating disorders to implement programs that work. In addition, schools can reach students at individual and universal levels, positively impacting those at…

Bodily movement is a central component in students' educational experiences in school-based physical education (PE) programs. PE unavoidably involves physical risk. In some respects, the risk of play, sports and adventure is portrayed as necessary and healthy for children's development. However, concerns about students' safety and teachers'…

School resource officer (SRO) presence in K-12 public schools is becoming increasingly popular in an effort to help ensure stakeholder safety and protect against unsuspecting acts of school violence. Despite the rise in SRO popularity, over the last 3 decades, research on the perceived impact of SRO presence in schools is mixed and generally…

Although behavioral threat assessment and management (often shortened to "threat assessment") has become widely used in US schools, no studies have systematically examined how frequently schools conduct threat assessments and how threat assessment rates vary as a function of student and school demographics. Of particular concern is that…

To promote school safety across K-12 settings, one preventative approach to school violence is school-based threat assessment. The current study utilizes a systematic review of empirical threat assessment investigations to inform evidence-based practices for school threat assessment. Twenty-three articles met inclusion criteria for the review. The…

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS) has created a list of their own resources on how K-12 schools can create an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). It addresses all threats, hazards, settings, and times. The list includes the following categories: (1) Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Development…

This dissertation includes three studies that investigate the factors that shaped emergency educational policymaking during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing upon scholarship on federalism, bureaucratic behavior, and partisanship, these studies expand our knowledge on the impact that local and state politics can have upon street-level bureaucrats'…