When it comes to understanding school safety, school communities need to include all areas. Too often, schools, parents, and students focus on only the most topical, visible, and emotional aspects of school safety. Safe and Sound Schools’ framework for school safety illustrates the six key categories communities need to assess, act, and then audit for safer schools. Below you will find several helpful resources where you can learn more and help educate your community about the need for broad, comprehensive school safety planning and development.
Our physical safety requires understanding of our building infrastructure and codes, impacts of weather and natural disasters, designs to enhance our learning environments, and tools and technologies we can use to improve our school safety. Learn more about security, safe school design, active assailant protection, and preventing and intervening in crises. Do we want to add blog posts?
The mental and behavioral health of your school community is essential to its overall safety. When a student, staff, or family member experiences depression, addiction, anxiety, or even contemplates self harm or suicide, the person and those around them are more prone to harm. Community and school-based mental health providers, multi-disciplinary threat assessment teams, and school nurses are all focused on these areas, but we all can learn more. Check out these resources for Bullying, Suicide Prevention, as well as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and its Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Disease Control and Prevention. Do we also include links to relevant blogs?
Keeping all members of the school community healthy contributes to a safer school environment. From allergy care to trauma care, to spotting the signs of abuse and neglect, to promoting health nutrition and awareness of threats such as human trafficking, there is so much we should be doing to keep our school community healthy. Learn more about Parenting and Families and resources specifically for Children, and check out KidsHealth, the Children’s Safety Network, and the National Association of School Nurses. Do we want to add blog post links?
It is important that every member of the school community feels welcome, safe, and secure in their environment. Engaging and fostering understanding among students, teachers, parents, staff, and the community will help reduce feelings of alienation, isolation, and desperation. Learn more about organizations with existing programs, the impact of trauma on your community, reunification, and infographics you can view on these topics. Do we want to add blog topics?
The policies, protocols and rules by which we run our schools and manage emergencies are essential elements in school safety, from bus safety to emergency response. Learn more about emergency procedures and guidelines, security, school violence, threat assessment, and standards. Blog posts?
Part of staying safe at school includes adhering to federal, state and local laws and regulations. Here are some resources to help educate teachers and staff about FERPA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, PASS, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, School Safety Law, and door locking regulations. Do we want to add blog posts?
