Why Safety Planning Matters in School Social Events: Lessons From a Special Education Case

Demirdağlı, ŞERİFE

doi:10.1111/josh.70240

Why Safety Planning Matters in School Social Events: Lessons From a Special Education Case

Demirdağlı Ş.

JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH, cilt.90, sa.10, ss.1-9, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)

Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
Cilt numarası: 90 Sayı: 10
Basım Tarihi: 2026
Doi Numarası: 10.1111/josh.70240
Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH
Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: SportDiscus, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Social Science Premium Collection (ProQuest), Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Education Collection (ProQuest), Education Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Pharma Collection (ProQuest), Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (EBSCO), Sociology Database (ProQuest), Sociology Source Ultimate (EBSCO), Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), CINAHL, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), EMBASE, ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), EBSCO Education Source, MEDLINE, Public Affairs Index
Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-9
Bursa Uludağ Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Background

Emergencies during school social activities are often overlooked, as these events are typically assumed to be covered by general safety plans.

Methods

This study examined an emergency during a school‐wide social event in a special education school using qualitative interviews. Data were collected from 32 school personnel and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Results

The results highlight four areas: (1) planning gaps, (2) panic response, (3) event conditions, and (4) limited organizational learning. School social activities function as temporary risk ecologies in which spatial, sensory, and relational factors reshape roles, coordination, and safety management. Preparedness remained narrowly classroom‐based and did not translate into organizational change following the event.

Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity

Schools should implement event‐specific safety protocols with clearly defined roles, coordinated supervision, and contingency planning for nonclassroom settings, with explicit attention to accessibility and differentiated support in special education contexts.

Conclusions

School safety planning must move beyond routine classroom assumptions and incorporate event‐specific operational structures that address coordination, accessibility, supervision, and adaptive decision‐making during school social events.