This case focuses on one novice school principal’s experience with an elopement incident. School elopement sets the background for this case, and in this situation, the principal sees the need to take action to increase school safety and special needs students’ teacher support. The authors enumerate leadership practices and organizational strategies that can assist novice school principals increase school safety for all students. In this principal’s case, the authors will focus on preventive leadership practices that prevent elopement as it relates to a novice school principal’s organizational practices, organization climate, and culture. To fill the literature gap, this case identifies critical novice school principals’ challenges related to students with special needs’ instruction, placement, and safety, in correlation to novice special education teachers’ induction and support.
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