It Takes a Village: Why Community is Key to School Safety with Amy Jeffs
- megan1636
- Oct 6
- 4 min read
“It takes all of us, [and] ultimately, you [have to] create the common goal, which is proactivity and preparedness.” - Amy Jeffs
What does it really mean to engage a community in school safety? Beyond slogans and vision statements, how do schools, parents, and partners work together to create real impact?
In this episode of The Sound Off on School Safety, Michele Gay sits down with Amy Jeffs — a longtime partner and advocate for safer schools — to explore how schools can intentionally build a community-based approach to safety. Amy shares her experience helping schools move from “talking the talk” to “walking the walk,” highlighting practical ways to engage diverse stakeholders, strengthen relationships, and empower students.
Below you’ll find the full episode guide with key takeaways and standout quotes to guide your listening.
Episode Guide
[02:15] The Power of Community Engagement
Amy emphasizes that building a safe school environment starts with creating commonality among all stakeholders. She and Michele discuss how engagement is the starting point, with schools at the center and parents, nonprofits, businesses, and municipal partners forming concentric circles of support.
“Creating a level of commonality is the most important thing when trying to bring a community together. [There are] two words that describe the opportunity and the challenge, which is to engage and leverage. Engagement is where you have to start...first and foremost within the school and then building out. That includes law enforcement, municipalities, parents, as well as local businesses. Then once you've got people engaged in a conversation around safe and sound classrooms, [you] can build all kinds of things that can ultimately benefit [the] community.” —Amy Jeffs
[07:40] Intentionality Matters
Amy and Michele talk about the importance of offering intentional engagement opportunities to the entire community, highlighting that engagement must be proactive, not reactive. Building these connections early helps schools avoid confusion and miscommunication during crises.
“There has to be relationship building first. We're not going to have that successful engagement with [the necessary] stakeholders unless we've created some relationship opportunities first.” —Michele Gay
[13:45] The Path to Comprehensive Safety
Michele and Amy dive into the ways that comprehensive school safety is rooted in a whole-community approach. Michele highlights the value of engaging diverse groups of people to build the necessary depth of support and resources.
“By engaging diverse groups of people, we end up organically creating a very comprehensive approach where lots of different perspectives and expertise and time, talent, treasure, and skills come together over this common goal of safety for our kids in our schools.” —Michele Gay
[17:30] Empowering Students
Amy and Michele reflect on the importance of including students in the conversation about safety. When students are included, their creativity and awareness enhance the overall approach to safety and education.
“Combining [adults’ experience and wisdom with students’ information and creativity] is so important. If you don't, [students are] not going to be on board. If you do give them the opportunity, they will help.” —Amy Jeffs
[29:00] Creating an Effective Ecosystem
Michele and Amy dive into actionable ways an ecosystem of support and resources can be created to support comprehensive school safety. They highlight the importance of leveraging relationships and existing networks to bring people together and make collaboration practical.
“I think the place to start is kind of where you and I started this conversation, which is, you have to find a couple of doers. And then they become your connectors. They don't have to do everything, but they do need to connect people.” —Amy Jeffs
Listen to the Full Episode with Amy Jeffs
This episode of The Sound Off offers powerful insight for school leaders and educators about the role that building intentional community engagement plays in comprehensive school safety. From the value of welcoming the student voice to what it means to proactively welcome diverse stakeholder groups, Michele Gay and Amy Jeffs share lessons that can make all the difference campus culture.
This episode is proudly sponsored by Status Solutions Network. SSN provides schools with safety technology at no cost and ongoing funding to address their unique and evolving needs—made possible through the support of local businesses advertising on the platform.
Check Out These Additional Resources from Safe and Sound and Status Solutions
Dive into these resources for more information on this topic:
Status Solutions Network: How Local Businesses Can Give Back to Empower Communities and Protect Schools
Safe and Sound's Parents for Safe Schools Program
Understanding Maslow Before Bloom: Why Meeting Basic Needs Comes First
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