- From the Executive Director
- House Bill 605
- Rave Panic Alarm
- Educating Kids About Gun and Gang Violence
- National Preparedness Month
- CFSS 10th Anniversary Mini-RISE
- Parent Tips
- School Bus Awareness Training
- Great Southeast ShakeOut
- SRMP Training
- Executive Director Tours
- Calendar of Events
- Follow Us
- Tell Us About It
The start of a new school year is an important time for students, parents, educators, administrators and support staff. It is the Center for Safer Schools’ responsibility to support public school units in all matters of school safety, and that includes keeping them up to date on initiatives.
Here are a few highlights with more detailed information included in the newsletter.
House Bill 605: This legislation, which was signed into law in July, provides for school threat assessment teams beginning in 2024-25.
Rave Panic Alarm: The N.C. Department of Public Safety in cooperation with the CFSS has made the Rave Panic Alarm available to all public K-12 school districts and K-12 charter schools across the state.
Say Something Anonymous Reporting System: SSARS is a program in which students in grades 6-12 can anonymously report safety concerns in 27 categories. All tips are monitored by a crisis center staffed 24/7/365.
Educating Kids About Gun and Gang Violence: EKG2 engages seventh-grade students through a two-hour/two-day interactive classroom presentation by a uniformed law enforcement officer.
Discipline Reporting: General Statute 115C-12(21) requires the State Board of Education to monitor and compile an annual report on acts of violence in the public schools. New for the 2023-24 school year are codes covering incidents including threat of mass violence, threat of harm to self and possession of vaping device.
Parent Engagement Committee: The CFSS aims to help parents become more involved in their children’s safety in schools. This 24-member panel will share their aspirations for and discuss challenges within the K-12 education system, helping to put together recommendations for elected officials and policymakers in North Carolina. We are preparing for our first session in the next couple of weeks.
If you have questions about these and other school safety initiatives, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov. Thank you for your cooperation to help keep our schools safer.
— Karen W. Fairley
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House Bill 605 provides for threat assessment teams at all North Carolina schools beginning in the 2024-25 school year. Those multidisciplinary teams – which include people with expertise in counseling, instruction, administration and law enforcement – conduct threat assessments in a public school unit when threatening behavior has been communicated and when a student is engaged in threatening behavior that warrants further evaluation.
HB 605 mandates that the Center for Safer Schools shall develop guidance for threat assessment teams for public schools. The CFSS shall develop the guidance by collecting information and best practices from schools with existing threat assessment teams and consulting with the Task Force for Safer Schools, Disability Rights North Carolina, North Carolina School Psychology Association, SBI and relevant state government agencies.
HB 605 also will establish peer-to-peer student support programs at all schools with grades 6 and higher. Schools are encouraged to implement peer-to-peer student support programs as appropriate in other grades.
The CFSS will support school counselors in the administration of peer-to-peer programs that address areas such as conflict resolution, general health and wellness, and mentoring.
The Panic Alarm – an app created by Framingham, Mass.-based Rave Mobile Safety – alerts authorities to an active shooter, medical emergency, fire or other crisis. The app simultaneously sends out a notification to other teachers and staff on campus.
The Panic Alarm is mandated by the General Assembly – Senate Bill 105, Section 19E.8.(a) and General Statute 115C-105.51(c) – which appropriated $4.4 million for implementation, with $2.3 million being used for the vendor.
The Panic Alarm is free and optional; school districts and charter schools have to opt in. For school districts and charter schools to adopt the Panic Alarm, an authorized person must fill out an online form. Rave will then provide a 60-minute training. According to Rave, the process from signup to implementation can take as little as a week.
For more information and to opt in, visit Rave.
Educating Kids About Gun and Gang Violence (EKG2) teaches students about the possible legal, medical and emotional consequences of youth gun possession, substance abuse and related gun violence. EKG2 training for school resource officers and school social workers was held at the 2023 RISE Back to School Safety Summit.
The film “Choices” is usually shown on Day 1 of the EKG2 program. “Choices” challenges youth to consider safe options when facing potentially violent situations.
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September is National Preparedness Month. This yearly observance raises awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.
This year’s theme is “Take Control in 1, 2, 3,” which empowers everyone, especially older adults, to 1) assess their needs, 2) make a plan and 3) engage their support network to stay safe when disaster strikes.
Older adults can face greater risks in extreme weather events and emergencies, especially if they are living alone, are low-income, have a disability or live in rural areas. By 2035, the U.S. Census Bureau projects that there will be more Americans over 65 than under 18. Over the next decade, it is imperative that the growing older adult population becomes more aware of their risks and better prepared for them.
For more information about National Preparedness Month, visit Ready.gov.
For the seventh monthly event in recognition of its 10th anniversary, the Center for Safer Schools will host an online mini-RISE on Friday, Sept. 8. The topic will be “Fundamental Principles of the School Resource Officer Program,” presented by CFSS Director of Training Quintin Trent.
Participants will receive the fundamental concepts of the school resource officer program, as well as an overview of the SRO and school administrator partnership. Participants also will receive the statutory information that governs the SRO program.
The mini-RISE will be held via Webex. Click here to register.
Transportation Security Administration School Bus Awareness Training will be held Thursday, Sept. 7 at the Center for Safer Schools Training Center in Moore County.
The outreach program is designed to give school administrators, bus transportation personnel and district level staff the ability to establish standards for security programs and give them the ability assess security vulnerabilities. The training objectives are to provide school personnel the resources to mitigate vulnerabilities in their school bus security programs, including recognizing and implementing best practices scenarios for active shooter events involving both school buses and school facilities.
Click here to register. If you have questions, email CFSS Director of Training Quintin Trent.
The Center for Safer Schools and N.C. Emergency Management invite school districts and charter schools across the state to participate in the 2023 Great Southeast ShakeOut on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m.
The ShakeOut is an annual public earthquake drill where millions of people in schools, organizations and homes simultaneously practice “Drop, Cover and Hold On,” which is the recommended action for people to take during an earthquake to reduce the risk of injury.
Although Oct. 19 is the official ShakeOut date this year, school districts and individual schools can choose their own date (or multiple dates) to accommodate as many people and schedules as possible. The drill can be completed together in person or at home via videoconferencing and offers your schools and community an opportunity to consider how they would respond to an earthquake while identifying potential refinements to your district’s emergency response plan.
Visit https://www.shakeout.org/southeast/register/ to register and perform a “Drop, Cover and Hold On” drill on Oct. 19 at 10:19 a.m. (or a date and time that works best for you). Once registered you will:
- Learn how your schools can be more prepared for earthquakes.
- Be counted in the world’s largest earthquake drill.
- Receive ShakeOut news and other information about earthquakes and preparedness.
- Make a difference by motivating others to participate and be prepared.
The ShakeOut website includes drill planning resources, general preparedness information, mitigation guidance and educational activities including lesson plans. The Great Southeast ShakeOut is organized by the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium and its member and associate state emergency management agencies. While infrequent, damaging earthquakes can occur at any time across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
If you have questions, contact Laura Silver with N.C. Emergency Management at laura.silver@ncdps.gov or 984-272-7002.
The Center for Safer Schools will host School Risk Management Plan training Wednesday, Oct. 11 at the Training Center in Moore County.
After completing SRMP training, attendees will be able to:
- Input site-based school data to develop a comprehensive schematic diagram and plans into the SRMP portal.
- Both identify and discuss vulnerabilities and training gaps in their individual plans.
- At least once annually initiate a full schoolwide tabletop exercise on the procedures documented in the SRMP portal.
Before you attend SRMP training, please ensure that you have an NCID and can access the SRMP system. If you have difficulty obtaining access, email CFSS Assistant Director of School Physical Safety Karen Everett.
Click here to register. Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop, as they will receive technical guidance to ensure their plans meet the necessary state requirements.
During the fall semester, Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley will continue her tours of North Carolina school districts and charter schools. She would like to see anything public school units want to showcase regarding school safety. For school districts, include stops at an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. Fairley also would like to take time to talk with a small group of students. To request a tour, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
Transportation Security Administration School Bus Awareness Training
(Registration is free)
- Thursday, Sept. 7, 9 a.m.-noon; Center for Safer Schools Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road, Jackson Springs: Register
CFSS 10th Anniversary Mini-RISE
(Registration is free)
- Fundamental Principles of the School Resource Officer Program: Friday, Sept. 8, 12:15-12:45 p.m.: Register
School Risk Management Plan Training
(Registration is free)
- Wednesday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m.-noon; Center for Safer Schools Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road, Jackson Springs: Register
The Center for Safer Schools welcomes newsletter submissions about school safety events from school districts and charter schools across North Carolina. Email your information and photos to CFSS Public Relations Specialist Charles Kinnin.
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