African American Studies Commons^™

Exploring Black Parents’ Perception Of Armed Teachers In School Settings, Iris Mathis-Spellman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The prevalence of mass school shootings in K–12 classrooms has ignited ongoing conversations about arming teachers in school settings to prevent future tragedies and provide a safe learning environment for students. This research study aimed to understand Black parents’ perception of armed teachers in school settings. Critical race theory provided the framework to explore the impact of race and implicit bias on teacher–student social interactions when policies permit teachers to carry firearms. Accordingly, the research questions explored Black parents’ perceptions of policies allowing armed teachers in school settings. A basic qualitative design was utilized with a purposeful and snowball sample …