 May 2026
Latest News
New SchoolSafety.gov Issue Brief Shares Youth Substance Use Prevention Strategies SchoolSafety.gov published an issue brief highlighting school-based strategies to prevent, reduce, and respond to substance use among K-12 students. Learn about what makes a young person susceptible to substance use, impacts of substance use on student health and safety, and resources to support K-12 prevention efforts. Find additional youth substance use prevention materials at SchoolSafety.gov.
FBI Issues Warning About Increasingly Prevalent Online Threat to Children
The Boston Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reported a sharp increase in the activity of “764” and other violent online networks targeting and exploiting children across the United States. These networks of violent predators befriend minors and other vulnerable individuals through popular online platforms and coerce them into escalating sexual and violent behavior. The FBI shares more about how these predators operate, potential signs of victimization, and how to protect children from these types of online threats.
Student Mental Health is a Matter of School Safety
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This annual observation aims to increase awareness of mental health and its connection to overall personal well-being. K-12 schools play an important role in supporting student mental health, in part by identifying potential mental health conditions among students and by connecting young people and their families to appropriate services and supports. Explore resources to support your school or district’s efforts.
Reinforce Digital Safety with Students Before Summer Break
As summer approaches, schools have the opportunity to reinforce digital safety messages with students in the final weeks of the academic year. The Department of Homeland Security’s Know2Protect: Together We Can Stop Online Child Exploitation® campaign offers resources that educate and empower children and teens to recognize, prevent, and report online threats such as grooming, sextortion, and the misuse of generative artificial intelligence. Know2Protect also provides resources for families and educators and recently released a new public service announcement on identifying fake online profiles.
Summer Safety Checklist: School Security Assessment
K-12 leaders and safety personnel can take advantage of empty hallways and school grounds over summer break to conduct a school security assessment. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) School Security Assessment Tool is a web-based assessment that helps analyze the security measures in place across a school campus and identify opportunities to improve the security of a school community. This tool is a part of the larger K-12 School Security Guide Product Suite, which offers comprehensive guidance on school physical security planning.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Grants and Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Deadlines
Research and Evaluation on School Safety (Deadline: June 3)
Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention (Deadline: June 15)
Community Programs for Outreach and Intervention with Youth and Young Adults at Clinical High Risk for Psychosis (Deadline: June 15)
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Grants Finder Tool for additional school safety-related funding opportunities.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
Incident Response and Vetting Educational Technology (May 27) – This webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education's Student Privacy Policy Office and Privacy Technical Assistance Center, will lead participants through a simulated data breach and explore how to assess online educational technology for privacy protections and compliance.
Unmasking the Appeal: Protecting Youth from Nicotine and Tobacco Addiction (May 27) – This webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network, will provide an overview of trends in youth use of tobacco and other nicotine products and share how educators can apply evidence-based strategies to prevent nicotine addiction among youth.
Strengthening K-12 Cybersecurity: Simple Steps for Safer Schools (May 28) – This virtual training, hosted by CISA, will offer actionable strategies to help K-12 schools and districts address emerging cyber threats, enhance cybersecurity measures, and foster a culture of cyber resilience.
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment (July 15, September 16, November 18) – These virtual trainings, hosted by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center, will highlight key findings from research on school violence prevention and provide guidance on how schools can develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Events Page for additional school safety webinars, conferences, and trainings.
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School Safety Resources
Addressing the Mental Health Impacts of Bullying and Cyberbullying: Strategies and Resources for K-12 Schools
This issue brief features information, resources, and school-based strategies to prevent bullying and cyberbullying and support student mental health.
Assessing and Responding to Anonymous Threats of Violence in the K-12 Environment
This recorded virtual training provides information on anonymous threats affecting K-12 schools, awareness and deterrence tactics to prevent these threats, and appropriate response actions for schools and local law enforcement.
Bomb Threat Guidance
This quick reference guide provides K-12 school safety decision makers with bomb threat guidance related to pre-threat preparation, threat assessment considerations, staff response guidelines, and evacuation and shelter-in-place considerations.
Free Mind
This website contains information on the relationship between mental health conditions and substance use disorders, as well as tips for teens to prioritize their mental health.
Planning Considerations for Cyber Incidents: Guidance for Emergency Managers
This guide provides information to help emergency management personnel collaboratively prepare for a cyber incident and support the development of a cyber incident response plan or annex.
Too Soon = Too Dangerous
This resource provides information to help parents, caregivers, and teachers of middle school students understand the dangers related to underage drinking. It also includes an interactive exercise and handouts to share with middle school students.
Youville
This downloadable program helps children ages 8-12 develop online safety skills, with resources specific to privacy, digital citizenship, understanding advertising, and spotting scams.
Visit SchoolSafety.gov for additional K-12 school safety and security resources.
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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future School Safety Community Bulletins, please contact us at SchoolSafety@cisa.dhs.gov.
SchoolSafety.gov Disclaimer
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) do not endorse any individual, enterprise, product, or service. DHS, ED, DOJ, and HHS do not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described in this communication. DHS, ED, DOJ, and HHS do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any information outside of those respective Departments, and the opinions expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of DHS, ED, DOJ, and HHS.
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