K-12 School Safety & Parent Communication Assessment

Welcome! This survey is for parents and guardians of K–12 students who were enrolled at any time in the last 12 months. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may stop at any time. There are no right or wrong answers — we are interested in your honest opinions and experiences. Your responses are confidential and will be reported only in aggregate to help improve school safety and communication practices. This survey takes approximately 5–7 minutes to complete.

Are you a parent or legal guardian of a child enrolled in a K–12 school within the last 12 months?

• Yes
• No

What grade level best describes your child's current enrollment?

• Preschool/Pre-K
• Elementary (K–5)
• Middle (6–8)
• High (9–12)
• Multiple children in different levels
• Other (please specify)

How safe do you feel your child's school is this school year?

How do you currently receive safety-related updates from the school? Select all that apply.

• Email
• Text/SMS
• School app/parent portal
• Automated phone calls/voicemail
• School website
• Paper notices sent home
• Social media
• In-person meetings/events
• Other (please specify)

Which prevention or safety measures have you noticed at your child's school this year? Select all that apply.

• Secure entrances/controlled access
• Visitor check-in and badging
• Staff presence/monitoring
• Anti-bullying or social-emotional learning (SEL) programs
• Student mental health services
• Emergency drills (e.g., fire, lockdown)
• Anonymous reporting/tip line
• After-school supervision
• Health/hygiene protocols
• Other (please specify)

In the last 12 months, did any safety-related incident occur at your child's school that affected your child or their class/school?

• Yes, directly
• Yes, at the school but not directly
• No
• Prefer not to say

If you could change one thing about safety or communication at your child's school, what would it be?

Where do you live?

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• European Union
• Other

Thank you for sharing your perspectives. Your input helps improve school safety and communication for families like yours.

What type of school does your child primarily attend this year?

• Public
• Public charter
• Private/independent
• Parochial/faith-based
• Homeschool
• Other (please specify)

Compared to the previous school year, how has your sense of safety at your child's school changed?

Overall, how effective are the school's communications about safety this school year?

Please rank where additional investment would be most helpful at your child's school (1 = most helpful).

1. Physical security upgrades (e.g., entrances/cameras)
2. Staff training (safety, de-escalation)
3. Student mental health supports
4. Family communication systems/tools
5. Prevention education (bullying/SEL)
6. Emergency preparedness/resources

How timely was the school's response and outreach during that incident?

Based on your survey responses, we'd like to explore your thoughts on school safety and communication a bit further.

What is your age?

• 18–24
• 25–34
• 35–44
• 45–54
• 55–64
• 65 or older
• Prefer not to say

Please rank the following sources by how much you trust them for safety information from the school (1 = most trusted).

1. Email from school administration
2. Text/SMS alerts
3. School app/parent portal
4. School website
5. Social media
6. In-person meetings/events

How would you rate the overall quality of the school's communications during that incident?

What is your gender?

• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Prefer not to say

What could the school have done better during that incident?

What is the highest level of education you have completed?

• Less than high school
• High school or GED
• Some college/Associate degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Graduate or professional degree
• Prefer not to say

What is your current employment status?

• Full-time
• Part-time
• Self-employed
• Homemaker/caregiver
• Student
• Not employed
• Retired
• Prefer not to say

How many school-aged children (5–18) live in your household?

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5 or more