SAFETY MANAGEMENT AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: RESPONSE MECHANISM
Keywords:
Administration and Supervision, School Safety Management, Emergency Preparedness, Descriptive-Correlational Design, Safety Plan, Surigao City Pilot SchoolAbstract
This study determined the level of school safety management and emergency preparedness at Surigao City Pilot School, Surigao City, during School Year 2026–2027 as a basis for a School-Based Safety Plan. The study was conducted with 30 teacher-respondents selected through purposive-convenience sampling. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed, and data were gathered through an adapted questionnaire. Simple percentage, weighted mean, and the chi-square test were used as statistical tools. The respondents were predominantly female, generally experienced teachers, and had varied graduate-level educational and training backgrounds. School safety management (overall weighted mean = 4.10) and school emergency preparedness (overall weighted mean = 4.10) were both rated high, indicating generally favorable implementation of safety resources, policies, facilities, health practices, and emergency procedures. A significant relationship was found between school safety management and school emergency preparedness (χ² = 18.42, df = 9, p = 0.031), leading to the rejection of the null hypothesis. However, respondents still encountered high-level challenges (overall weighted mean = 3.71) involving training, resources, communication, drills, facilities, coordination, stakeholder support, and funding. Therefore, it is recommended that the proposed output of the study, the “School-Based Safety Plan,” be adopted and implemented.
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