I Thought She Was Safe – Hardcover

Description

Author(s): Deidra P. Pernell
Publisher: Pernell Press
Publisher Imprint: Pernell Press
BISAC: Administration – School Superintendents & Principals

A school. A community. A day that changed everything.

On May 18, 2018, a shooting at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas, changed the way Dr. Deidra P. Pernell understood school safety. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, a first-period art student, survived by hiding in the supply closet when the gunman entered her classroom. In the aftermath, school safety was no longer simply an educational issue or policy debate. It was personal.

In I Thought She Was Safe, Dr. Pernell examines school safety through the voices of the people who carry its greatest responsibility: superintendents. Drawing on original research and lived experience, she explores the complex decisions educational leaders face as they work to protect students, support staff, and build strong school communities.

This is not a book about fear. It is a call for deeper understanding, more thoughtful leadership, and a renewed commitment to equity and belonging. It challenges us to look beyond metal detectors and emergency plans and consider the full picture of what it means to create safe, supportive schools where all students can thrive.

For parents, educators, students, policymakers, and anyone who cares about the future of our schools, I Thought She Was Safe offers insight, reflection, and a renewed vision of school safety-one rooted in leadership, equity, and belonging.