An Exploratory Investigation of Student-Level Factors and Perceptions of Safety in Secondary Schools Implementing SWPBIS

The ongoing concern among the public about the safety of school-aged students in the United States has driven researchers to identify effective preventative practices to enhance school safety. Although past research has identified and evaluated specific preventative initiatives, the breadth of literature evaluating multitiered systems of supports and student perceptions of safety is limited. This exploratory investigation utilized a multivariate analysis of variance to examine student perceptions of safety across grade levels and racial/ethnic identities of secondary students in two School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) implementing schools. Findings included significant differences in perspectives of major and minor safety instances across student racial/ethnic identity and across grade level. Practice implications and directions for future research pertaining to SWPBIS and school safety are presented.