When faced with an unexpected threat to student safety, Principal Peterson (pseudonym) has minutes to implement emergency protocols affecting over 800 students and 60 staff members. This case narrative documents a principal’s response to a safety threat, progressing from initial lockdown through recovery following a shooting death. Furthermore, the teaching notes and activities facilitate the exploration of critical decision points and crisis leadership actions along with the factors influencing his leadership decisions. Discussion prompts and activities encourage educational leaders to analyze the dispositional, relational, and situational factors influencing critical decision points.
LiouY.-H. (2015). School crisis management: A model of dynamic responsiveness to crisis life cycle. Educational Administration Quarterly, 51(2), 247–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X14532467
6.
MutchC. (2015). Leadership in times of crisis: Dispositional, relational and contextual factors influencing school principals’ actions. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 14, 186–194. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.06.005
RozaT. H.De Borba TellesL. E. (2024). The rise of school shootings and other related attacks in Brazil. The Lancet Regional Health: Americas, 33, Article 100724. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lana.2024.100724
StriepeM.CunninghamC. (2022). Understanding educational leadership during times of crises: A scoping review. Journal of Educational Administration, 60(2), 133–147. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-03-2021-0057
15.
WilliamsT.LiouY. H. (2024). Framing K-12 school leaders’ roles and competencies in times of crisis. Journal of School Leadership, 34(1), 26–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846231187576
16.
WrightA. L.NicholsE.McKechnieM.McCarthyS. (2013). Combining crisis management and evidence-based management: The Queensland floods as a teachable moment. Journal of Management Education, 37(1), 135–160. https://doi.org/10.1177/1052562912455522
