questionnaire specs (final)

8/11/2019 Questionnaire Specs (Final)

1/20

School PreparednessQuestionnaire Specifcations

Emergency Preparedness Policies and Practices in PublicSchools in California

Questionnaire Specications

Overview This study involved a mail survey o a sample o publicschool districts and school sites in Caliornia to assessemergency and disaster preparedness. Sel-administereduestionnaires were developed to assess prioremergency and disaster e!periences" perceivedpreparedness" preparedness in terms o planning"training and euipment and supplies" and compliancewith the state mandate to implement the Standardi#ed$mergency %anagement System.

& sample o '() public school districts stratifed by

urban-rural locality and a sample o *+, school sitesnested within the school district sample were selectedor the survey. The survey was administered by mail andincluded ollow-up by mail and telephone. & total o (responses rom school districts and ', responses romschool sites were obtained or response rates o */0(1)223 or school districts and 44/ 0',1*,23 orschool sites" respectively.

The survey was administered between September )22and 5anuary )22+.

Study Ob6ectives This study had two main ob6ectives. The frst ob6ectivewas to describe the state o emergency preparedness inpublic school districts and public school sites inCaliornia. The second ob6ective was to e!plain observeddi7erences in the 8ind and level o preparedness as aunction o school district and school site characteristics"including urban-rural locality" student demographics"prior disaster e!perience" and resource capacity.

Questionnaires Two uestionnaires were developed or this study. One

was designed to assess preparedness at the schooldistrict level and the other was designed to assesspreparedness at the school site level. %ost o theconcepts were measured in both uestionnaires 0e.g."prior disaster e!perience" perceived preparedness"emergency resources3. & ew concepts" such as districtmonitoring and support o site-level preparedness" were

'


2/20


only included in one uestionnaire and not in the other.

%ultiple sources were used to develop theuestionnaires. 9r. %ari#en :amire# o the Childrens;ospital o


3/20


9istrictQuestionnaire

The district uestionnaire was directed to the individualwho was designated as the most appropriate districtsta7 person to complete the uestionnaire. The designeewas identifed by contacting each school district by

phone. An most cases" sta7 in the Superintendent?s o>cemade the designation. The designee was typically theperson responsible or ris8 management" school saety"and1or school maintenance and operations or thedistrict.

Bame o School9istrict

This item as8s the respondent to record the name o theschool district. Once the name is confrmed" the name othe school district is replaced with an identifcationnumber and is detached rom the rest o theuestionnaire responses in order to maintain

confdentiality.

;ow many schoolsites are there inyour district

This item as8s the respondent to record the number oschool sites in the school district. This is a measure othe si#e o the school district. Some studies have shownthat the si#e o organi#ations is positively correlated withthe e!tent o organi#ational disaster preparedness0@aner6ee D Eillespie" '*3.

Q' This item as8s the respondent to indicate the districttype.

Q) This item as8s the respondent to record their currentposition or title in the district o>ce.

Q4 This item as8s the respondent to record the number oyears he1she has been wor8ing at the current schooldistrict.

$arthua8e preparedness at the household level hasbeen associated with stronger community ties orinvolvement indicated by home ownership and presenceo school-age children in the household 0:ussell" Eolt#" D

@ourue" 'F Turner" Bigg" D ;eller-Pa#" '(+3.


4/20


emergency preparedness and response activities.

Q This item as8s whether the school district has acommittee or team that specifcally deals withemergency preparedness and response issues.

The availability o school health councils has been shownto correlate with the number o school health policiesand programs implemented in schools 0@rener" Gann"%c%anus" Stevenson" D Hooley" )22*3. The availabilityo a committee or team is e!pected to have a similarpositive e7ect on the implementation o schoolemergency preparedness policies and programs.

Q+ This item as8s whether the school district has anemergency preparedness coordinator" and i so" whetherit is a ull- or part-time position.

& study has shown that school districts with a programcoordinator who spends more o their time on schoolhealth programs were more li8ely to implement healthprograms reuired by the government compared todistricts without coordinators or with a coordinator whospends less time on those programs 0Pan8rat# D ;allors")22*3.

Q, This item as8s about the school district?s priore!perience with ) di7erent 8inds o potential

emergencies or disasters" including natural events" suchas earthua8e and Ioods" technological events" such asha#ardous material spills or power ailures" and human-initiated events" such as school shootings and terroristactivities1threats. Jor each type o event" the respondentis as8ed to indicate whether the event occurred in thelast three years" occurred over three years ago" or neveroccurred in or around their school district. This itemmeasures the e!tent o prior disaster e!perience interms o the range o di7erent events e!perienced" andalso distinguishes between historical events and more

recent events.

The e!perience-behavior hypothesis" which posits thatprior disaster e!perience is associated with higher levelso preparedness" has had some support at the individualand household levels 0Borris" Smith" D Ganiasty" 'FSattler" Gaiser" D ;ittner" )2223. Similarly" prior disastere!perience has been associated with higher levels o

*


5/20


preparedness in organi#ations 0@aner6ee D Eillespie"'*F 9ahlhamer D 9KSou#a" ',F Hebb" Tierney" D9ahlhamer" )2223. This emphasis on concretee!perience as the cause o behavior change or theadoption o new behavior is also consistent with the

behaviorist perspective o organi#ational learning0Glimec8i D


6/20


euipment and supplies.

Q'4 This item as8s the respondent to rate their schooldistrict?s overall preparedness or emergencies anddisasters using a scale o ' 0Bot at all prepared3 to '2

0$!tremely well prepared3.

%easures o perceived preparedness can be compared tomeasures o actual preparedness 0e.g." reuency odrills" maintenance o euipment and supplies3 to assesswhether perceived preparedness is an accurate indicatoro actual preparedness.

Q'* This item as8s the respondent to rate their schooldistrict?s preparedness to shelter students or at least )*continuous hours in an emergency using a scale o '0Bot at all prepared3 to '2 0$!tremely well prepared3.

Andividuals as well as social groups and organi#ations aree!pected to be sel-su>cient or the frst ,) hoursollowing an emergency or disaster event until ormalemergency assistance becomes available. This uestionis intended to assess the school district?s perceivedcapability to shelter students or at least )* hours duringan emergency.

Q' This item as8s whether the respondent 8nows whichschool sites within the district are designated :ed Cross

shelters.

School sites are oten designated :ed Cross shelters andwill be used as community shelters during large-scaleemergencies. Gnowing which school sites are designatedshelters" and coordinating with the :ed Cross prior to theoccurrence o emergencies are important steps inemergency planning.

Q'+-Q)4 This series o items as8 about the district?s emergencyplan and school site emergency plans. Q' and Q)2 as8

about the procedures and items included in the districtemergency plan. These lists o emergency proceduresand items are based on recommendations made by thece o $ducation Sae SchoolsO>ce. Q'( and Q)4 specifcally as8 whether the planscomply with the Standardi#ed $mergency %anagementSystem.

+


7/20


School districts and county o>ces o education are heldresponsible or developing comprehensive school saetyplans" including disaster procedures" or its schoolsoperating 8indergarten or any o grades ' to ') 0Section4))(2-4))( o the Caliornia $ducation3. The plans are

to be site-specifc" and should be reviewed" updated andorwarded to the school district or county o>ce oeducation each year. Jurthermore" school districts andschool sites are mandated to use the Standardi#ed$mergency %anagement System 0Section (+2, o theCaliornia Eovernment Code3.

Q)* This item as8s whether the school district participates inemergency planning or the city and1or county.

&ccording to the Standardi#ed $mergency %anagement

System" school districts are designated Lspecial districtsMwhich must coordinate their emergency response withother Loperational areas"M or levels o government" suchas the city or county. Thus" school districts should beinvolved in emergency planning and e!ercises at the cityand county level.

Q)-Q)+ Q) measures the e!tent o sta8eholder involvement inthe development o the district?s emergencypreparedness policies" plans and activities. Q)+ as8s therespondent to use a scale o ' 0Bot at all committed3 to 0Nery committed3 to rate the level o commitment toimprove emergency and disaster preparedness in theschool district shown by each o fve entities schoolprincipals" school board" district administrators" countyo>ce o education and state department o education.

=sing data on local government planning or naturalha#ard mitigation" @urby and colleagues 0@urby" )224F@urby D %ay" '(F 9alton D @urby" '*3 showed thatsta8eholder involvement and planning agencycommitment are some o the 8ey actors that lead tostronger plans and higher rates o plan implementation.

Q), This item as8s about the sources o unding or thedistrict?s emergency preparedness activities. Thefnancial resources available to a school district candirectly a7ect their ability to implement preparednesspolicies and activities.

Q)(-Q) Q)( as8s the respondent to indicate their emergency

,


8/20


response role. This list o emergency response roles wasdeveloped based on an adaptation o the AncidentCommand System 0ACS3 to schools. Q) as8s i theschool district uses the ACS" a component o theStandardi#ed $mergency %anagement System 0S$%S3

which outlines 8ey emergency response roles1unctionsand the structure o command.

&ll districts should be using the ACS as part o S$%S.:espondents should be clear about their emergencyresponse role and should ideally be responsible or asingle role1unction" especially i their district uses theACS.

Q42-Q4+ This series o uestions as8s about emergency responsetraining and drills1e!ercises. Q42 as8s about the types o

training that the respondent has received during the lastschool year. Q4' as8s the respondent to use a scale o '0Bot at all adeuate3 to 0Nery adeuate3 to rate theadeuacy o emergency response training or fve groupso people in the school district district administrators"other district o>ce sta7" school administrators" schoolteachers" and other school sta7. &ll categories o sta7should be adeuately trained in emergency responseprocedures. Q4) as8s the respondent to record the 8indso training that they thin8 would be helpul to preparethemselves or emergencies. Q44 to Q4 as8s the

respondent to record the number o district-wide drills"city drills1e!ercises" and county drills1e!ercises that thedistrict conducted or participated in during the lastschool year. Adeally" at least one o each type o e!erciseshould be conducted each year.


9/20


communication device which is a3 used most oten" b3most reliable" and c3 least reliable during emergencies.Q4 as8s whether any o the communication devices orsystems are incompatible throughout the district. Q*2as8s about the types o emergency euipment and

supplies that are available at school sites in the district.Q*' as8s the respondent to record emergencyeuipment and1or supplies that they thin8 their districtneeds to acuire or replace.

Q*) This item as8s about the e!tent to which students?parents are involved in emergency preparedness andtraining or the school district. &ctive support andinvolvement by parents is one o the 8ey actors in theinitiation" implementation and continuation o schoolprograms in general 0Jullan" )22'3.

Q*4 This item as8s about the e!tent to which the schooldistrict coordinates with other local agencies andorgani#ations on emergency preparedness and responseissues.

%ulti-agency coordination is a 8ey component o theStandardi#ed $mergency %anagement System. Schooldistricts should coordinate with their local emergencyresponders 0i.e." fre" police3 as well as with localgovernment agencies 0i.e." city o>ces" county o>ces3and other organi#ations or groups in anticipation o themulti-agency coordination that will become inevitableduring emergency response.

Q** This item as8s about the 8ind o support services thatthe district o>ce provides to its school sites to assist inemergency preparedness and response.

Support services o7ered by school districts to schoolsites" such as the provision o model policies or sta7training opportunities" appear to acilitate health policydevelopment and program implementation 0Small et al."

)22'3. Studies have also shown that fnancial andtechnical assistance rom higher-level governmentagencies is one actor that e!plains better uality olocal natural ha#ard mitigation plans 0@urby D %ay"'(3.

Q* This item as8s about the ways in which the districtmonitors emergency preparedness policies and practices


10/20


at its school sites.

The combination o pressure and support rom e!ternalagencies to implement programs and to comply withstandards are considered 8ey e!ternal actors that

promote the implementation and continuation o schoolprograms 0Jullan" )22'3. 9istrict monitoring activitiesshould apply some pressure on school sites to carry outreuirements or emergency preparedness and S$%Scompliance.

Q*+ This item as8s the respondent to record anything elsethat they would li8e to tell the researchers aboutemergency preparedness in their school district or ingeneral.

Q*,

TelephoneAnterview:ecruitment

This is the fnal section in the uestionnaire whiche!plains that ollow-up telephone interviews will beconducted with volunteers. :espondents are as8ed toprovide their name and contact inormation i they wishto be eligible or the telephone interview. Once theuestionnaire is received" the name and contactinormation given in this section will be detached and8ept separately in order to maintain confdentiality o theuestionnaire responses.

'2


11/20


SchoolQuestionnaire

The school uestionnaire was directed to the schoolprincipals. Principals were given the option odesignating another sta7 member to complete theuestionnaire. At was decided that the human and

fnancial resources reuired to contact all *,' schoolsites to identiy a designated person would not beworthwhile given that the ormative research showedthat school principals and assistant principals typicallysel-identiy themselves as the LcommanderM oemergency preparedness and response at the school sitelevel.

Bame o School9istrict

This item as8s the respondent to record the name o theschool district. Once the name is confrmed" the name othe school district is replaced with an identifcation

number and is detached rom the rest o theuestionnaire responses in order to maintainconfdentiality.

Bame o SchoolSite

This item as8s the respondent to record the name o theschool site. Once the name is confrmed" the name othe school site is replaced with an identifcation numberand is detached rom the rest o the uestionnaireresponses in order to maintain confdentiality.

Q' This item as8s the respondent to indicate the schoollevel.

Q) This item as8s about the respondent?s current position atthe school.

Q4 This item as8s the respondent to record the number oyears he1she has been wor8ing at the current school.

$arthua8e preparedness at the household level hasbeen associated with stronger community ties orinvolvement indicated by home ownership and presenceo school-age children in the household 0:ussell et al."

'F Turner et al." '(+3.


12/20


emergency preparedness and response activities.

Q This item as8s about the school?s prior e!perience with) di7erent 8inds o potential emergencies or disasters"including natural events" such as earthua8e and Ioods"

technological events" such as ha#ardous material spillsor power ailures" and human-initiated events" such asschool shootings and terrorist activities1threats. Jor eachtype o event" the respondent is as8ed to indicatewhether the event occurred in the last three years"occurred over three years ago" or never occurred in oraround their school site. This item measures the e!tento prior disaster e!perience in terms o the range odi7erent events e!perienced" and also distinguishesbetween historical events and more recent events.

The e!perience-behavior hypothesis" which posits thatprior disaster e!perience is associated with higher levelso preparedness" has had some support at the individualand household levels 0Borris et al." 'F Sattler et al.")2223. Similarly" prior disaster e!perience has beenassociated with higher levels o preparedness inorgani#ations 0@aner6ee D Eillespie" '*F 9ahlhamer D9KSou#a" ',F Hebb et al." )2223. This emphasis onconcrete e!perience as the cause o behavior change orthe adoption o new behavior is also consistent with thebehaviorist perspective o organi#ational learning

0Glimec8i D


13/20


impacts that the school has e!perienced in the last threeyears" including fnancial impact" human casualties" andproperty damage.

At is possible that the e!tent o damage e!perienced in

prior events is a stronger predictor o preparednessrather than the simple e!perience o events. An act"multiple e!periences o events without any signifcantdamage may contribute to a alse sense o security orimmunity and result in lower levels o preparedness oruture events.

Q This item as8s the respondent to record the eventoccurring at any time in the past that had the mostsignifcant impact on their school.

Q'2 This item as8s the respondent to use a scale o ' 0Bot atall prepared3 to 0Nery well prepared3 to rate theirschool?s preparedness in each o our areas opreparedness planning" drills1e!ercises" training" andeuipment and supplies.

Q'' This item as8s the respondent to rate their school?soverall preparedness or emergencies and disastersusing a scale o ' 0Bot at all prepared3 to '2 0$!tremelywell prepared3.

%easures o perceived preparedness can be compared to

measures o actual preparedness 0e.g." reuency odrills" maintenance o euipment and supplies3 to assesswhether perceived preparedness is an accurate indicatoro actual preparedness.

Q') This item as8s the respondent to rate their school?spreparedness to shelter students or at least )*continuous hours in an emergency using a scale o '0Bot at all prepared3 to '2 0$!tremely well prepared3.

Andividuals as well as social groups and organi#ations are

e!pected to be sel-su>cient or the frst ,) hoursollowing an emergency or disaster event until ormalemergency assistance becomes available. This uestionis intended to assess the school?s perceived capability toshelter students or at least )* hours during anemergency.

Q'4-Q' This series o items as8s about the school?s emergency

'4


14/20


plan. Q', and Q'( as8 about the procedures and itemsincluded in the school emergency plan. These lists oemergency procedures and items are based onrecommendations made by the ce o $ducation Sae Schools O>ce. Q' specifcally

as8s whether the plan complies with the Standardi#ed$mergency %anagement System.

School districts and county o>ces o education are heldresponsible or developing comprehensive school saetyplans" including disaster procedures" or its schoolsoperating 8indergarten or any o grades ' to ') 0Section4))(2-4))( o the Caliornia $ducation3. The plans areto be site-specifc" and should be reviewed" updated andorwarded to the school district or county o>ce oeducation each year. Jurthermore" school districts and

school sites are mandated to use the Standardi#ed$mergency %anagement System 0Section (+2, o theCaliornia Eovernment Code3.

Q)2 This item as8s i the respondent 8nows whether theirschool site is a designated :ed Cross shelter.

School sites are oten designated :ed Cross shelters andwill be used as community shelters during large-scaleemergencies. Gnowing whether one?s school site is adesignated shelter" and coordinating with the :ed Crossprior to the occurrence o emergencies are importantsteps in emergency planning.

Q)' This item as8s whether the school provides students withinormation and instructions on how to prepare or andrespond to disasters at home.

@y increasing students? awareness and disseminatingpractical inormation on disaster preparedness to thestudents? households" schools can indirectly contributeto improving disaster preparedness in the community asa whole. This uestion aims to assess this potential

secondary e7ect o school preparedness.

Q)) This item measures the e!tent o sta8eholderinvolvement in the development o the school?semergency preparedness policies" plans and activities.

=sing data on local government planning or naturalha#ard mitigation" @urby and colleagues 0@urby" )224F

'*


15/20


@urby D %ay" '(F 9alton D @urby" '*3 showed thatsta8eholder involvement is one o the 8ey actors thatlead to stronger plans and higher rates o planimplementation.

Q)4 This item as8s about the e!tent to which students?parents are involved in emergency preparedness andtraining at the school site. &ctive support andinvolvement by parents is one o the 8ey actors in theinitiation" implementation and continuation o schoolprograms in general 0Jullan" )22'3.

Q)* This item as8s about the sources o unding or theschool?s emergency preparedness activities. Thefnancial resources available to a school can directlya7ect their ability to implement preparedness policies

and activities.Q)-Q)+ Q) as8s the respondent to indicate their emergency

response role. This list o emergency response roles wasdeveloped based on an adaptation o the AncidentCommand System 0ACS3 to schools.Q)+ as8s i theschool district uses the ACS" a component o theStandardi#ed $mergency %anagement System 0S$%S3which outlines 8ey emergency response roles1unctionsand the structure o command.

&ll schools should be using the ACS as part o S$%S.:espondents should be clear about their emergencyresponse role and should ideally be responsible or asingle role1unction" especially i their school uses theACS.

Q),-Q4, This series o uestions as8s about emergency responsetraining and drills1e!ercises. Q), as8s about the types otraining that the respondent has received during the lastschool year. Q)( as8s the respondent to use a scale o '0Bot at all adeuate3 to 0Nery adeuate3 to rate theadeuacy o emergency response training or three

groups o people in the school administrative sta7"certifcated sta7 0mainly teachers3" and classifed sta7.&ll categories o school sta7 should be adeuatelytrained in emergency response procedures. Q) as8sthe respondent to record the 8inds o training that theythin8 would be helpul to prepare themselves oremergencies. Q42 to Q44 as8s the respondent to recordthe number o earthua8e" fre" loc8down and district-

'


16/20


wide drills that the school conducted or participated induring the last school year. Adeally" at least one o eachtype o e!ercise should be conducted each year. Q4as8s i S$%S was incorporated into the drills ande!ercises. Compliance with S$%S should be documented

in the areas o planning" training" e!ercises" andperormance 0Section )**4 o the Caliornia Code o:egulation3. Q4+ as8s the time o school day that theschool conducts drills. Adeally" drills should be conductedat various times o the day" including lunch hours andbeore1ater school hours" since emergencies can occurat any time. Q4, as8s i the school reports their drillactivities to the district o>ce.

Q4( This item as8s about the 8ind o members who serve ona school site committee or team that deals with disaster

planning and emergency preparedness. Q4(& as8s therespondent to rate the level o involvement o this schoolsite committee1team in developing and reviewing theschool?s emergency preparedness policies" plans andactivities using a scale ranging rom ' 0Bot at allinvolved3 to '2 0$!tremely involved3. A the school has nosuch committee or team" the respondent s8ips Q4(&.

The availability o school health councils has been shownto correlate with the number o school health policiesand programs implemented in schools 0@rener et al."

)22*3. The availability o a committee or team ise!pected to have a similar positive e7ect on theimplementation o school emergency preparednesspolicies and programs" provided they are activelyinvolved in the planning process.

Q4 This item as8s whether the school has a designatedcrisis response team.

At has become common or schools to have designatedcrisis response teams consisting o a handul o schoolsta7 members who receive concentrated training andparticipate in regular e!ercises in emergency responseand crisis management.

Q*2 This item as8s whether the school has an emergencypreparedness coordinator" and i so" whether it is a ull-or part-time position.

'+


17/20


& study has shown that school districts with a programcoordinator who spends more o their time on schoolhealth programs were more li8ely to implement healthprograms reuired by the government compared todistricts without coordinators or with a coordinator who

spends less time on those programs 0Pan8rat# D ;allors")22*3. At is e!pected that having a program coordinatoror emergency preparedness at the school site wouldhave a similar positive e7ect on emergencypreparedness planning and implementation.

Q*' This item as8s the respondent to use a scale o ' 0Bot atall committed3 to 0Nery committed3 to rate the level ocommitment to improve the school?s emergency anddisaster preparedness shown by each o si! entitiesschool principal" parents" school board" school district"

county o>ce o education and state department oeducation.

=sing data on local government planning or naturalha#ard mitigation" @urby and colleagues 0@urby D %ay"'(F 9alton D @urby" '*3 argue that commitment othe sta8eholders and o the planning agency is one othe 8ey actors that lead to stronger plans and higherrates o plan implementation.

Q*) This item as8s about the e!tent to which the schoolcoordinates with other local agencies and organi#ationson emergency preparedness and response issues.

This uestion aims to assess the e!tent to which schoolsites directly engage in multi-agency coordination. %ulti-agency coordination is a 8ey component o theStandardi#ed $mergency %anagement System 0S$%S3.;owever" in the case o schools" it is possible that schooldistricts serve as the liaison between localagencies1organi#ations and the school sites" and theschool sites themselves have little or no direct wor8ingrelationships with local agencies and organi#ations.

Q*4-Q*, This series o uestions as8s about emergencyeuipment and supplies owned by the school. Ownershipand maintenance o physical resources" along withplanning" training and e!ercises" is a necessarycomponent o emergency preparedness.

',


18/20


Q*4 as8s about the types o communication devicesused during emergencies1disasters at the school site.Q** as8s the respondent to record the type ocommunication device which is a3 used most oten" b3most reliable" and c3 least reliable during emergencies.

Q* as8s about the types o emergency euipment andsupplies that are available at the school site. Q*+ as8swhether the emergency euipment and supplies wereinspected and1or maintenanced during the last schoolyear. Q*, as8s the respondent to record emergencyeuipment and1or supplies that they thin8 their districtneeds to acuire or replace.

Q*( This item as8s the respondent to record anything elsethat they would li8e to tell the researchers aboutemergency preparedness at their school or in general.

Q*

TelephoneAnterview:ecruitment

This is the fnal section in the uestionnaire whiche!plains that ollow-up telephone interviews will beconducted with volunteers. :espondents are as8ed toprovide their name and contact inormation i they wishto be eligible or the telephone interview. Once theuestionnaire is received" the name and contactinormation given in this section will be detached and8ept separately in order to maintain confdentiality o theuestionnaire responses.

'(


19/20


References

@aner6ee" %. %." D Eillespie" 9. J. 0'*3. Strategy and organi#ationaldisaster preparedness. Disasters, 18" 4**-4*.

@rener" B. 9." Gann"


20/20


disasters 9oes reaction to the frst predict response to the secondEnvironment an -ehavior, (#03" +4,-+*.

Small" %.

questionnaire specs (final)

Documents