Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3340-7726

Advisor

Sherman-Morris, Kathleen

Committee Member

Saunders, Michelle

Committee Member

Lalk, Sarah

Committee Member

Gutter, Barrett

Date of Degree

5-16-2025

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU Only 1 year

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Major

Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Geosciences

Abstract

Schools are a focal point in the lives of everyone in the community, especially teachers, parents, and students. Investigating the connection between these individuals and tornadoes by identifying shortcomings in education, training, and emergency procedures can induce more effective and informed decision-making for future encounters. This study evaluated the inclusivity of tornado protocols for students with disabilities, uncovered where parents prefer their child to shelter in early dismissal situations and clarified how extensively natural hazard education and tornado drills are covered in schools. Two surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to obtain responses from earth science teachers, K-12 guardians, and special education teachers and principals respectively. This investigation found that most students with disabilities were not being evaluated for personalized emergency measures related to severe weather during IEP meetings. If discussions did occur, they were typically in informal settings between parents, teachers, and principals, with students not commonly involved in the planning process. Students with disabilities in all classroom types were included in tornado drills, with those in the self-contained settings sometimes practicing more often than the general body. For early dismissal scenarios based on severe weather, parents preferred their children to return home in both a hypothetical morning and afternoon dismissal situation. Preferences for sending students home or keeping them in schools were influenced by confidence in school personnel, perceptions of housing and school infrastructure, perceptions of school communications, if parents were home during school hours, and if individuals had an alternate sheltering location. Finally, it was found that earth science teachers were commonly spending two to four hours during the school year covering the earth sciences and how to mitigate their effects. Most teachers were comfortable in teaching these topics. Tornado drills occurred two or more times a school year, with a mixture of morning and afternoon drills. Tornado drills were largely assessed for the time it takes to get students into position and if they take the drills seriously, with little evaluation of infrastructure concerns or the availability of resources. 54% of teachers were satisfied with tornado drilling in schools.

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