- From the Executive Director
- RISE Call for Proposals
- Parent Engagement Committee
- Human Trafficking Forums
- Charter Advocacy Summit
- EC Parent Council
- Student Engagement Visit
- CFSS at Samarcand
- School Safety Grant Eligibility
- School Bus Driver Appreciation Day
- SRMP Training
- YMHFA Training
- Executive Director Tours
- Join Our Team
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- Tell Us About It
This month, I want to recognize the Center for Safer Schools’ great partnership with the N.C. General Assembly.
Our legislators have long been extremely supportive of helping the CFSS fulfill its mission and vision. In January, we awarded School Safety Grants in the amount of $35 million, which the General Assembly graciously provided.
Their support goes beyond appropriations. On Tuesday, March 12, several legislators attended an Open House at the CFSS Training Center at Samarcand. I want to thank Samarcand Training Academy Director Matthew Rebuck for hosting this legislative event. I was grateful for the opportunity to show the legislators the great work we’re doing. Read more about the event later in this newsletter.
On Thursday, March 14, I was honored to speak at one of the Human Trafficking Awareness Forums hosted by Rep. Frank Sossamon. Human trafficking is not only a global concern, it’s a school safety concern. I was pleased to see the great interaction between the audience and presenters. Read more about the forums later in this newsletter.
Finally, the CFSS has released guidance for school threat assessment teams, which are mandated by Session Law 2023-78/House Bill 605. The General Assembly had passed the legislation with overwhelming support, underscoring their commitment to school safety.
Click here to view my monthly video message on YouTube, which for April focuses on internet safety. Follow the CFSS on social media for more information and updates on the 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit.
Thank you as we work together to make schools safer.
— Karen W. Fairley
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The 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit – the Center for Safer Schools’ signature event – will be held in Wilmington from Monday, July 29-Friday, Aug. 2. If you or someone you know has a school safety workshop that would be appreciated by participants at the summit, please complete the Call for Proposals form for each presenter and each topic.
The submission deadline is noon Friday, April 12, 2024, with notifications going out in late April. If you have questions, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
 Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley speaks to members of the Parent Engagement Committee on March 20 at the Education Building in Raleigh. (CFSS photo)
The Center for Safer Schools Parent Engagement Committee held its second in-person meeting Wednesday, March 20 at the Education Building in Raleigh.
CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley told the committee that it’s their task to help parents in their region understand school safety issues so they can help support public-school units.
“School safety is not just a teacher issue. It is a whole community issue,” she said. “Parents have a vital role in working with their own child to minimize the challenges we have.”
During the meeting, the Parent Engagement Committee's subcommittees were given specific tasks to complete before the 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit.
 Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley discusses the CFSS parent handout during the Human Trafficking Awareness Forum hosted by Rep. Frank Sossamon (right) on March 14 in Oxford. (CFSS photos)
Center for Safer Schools staff members attended Human Trafficking Awareness Forums in Henderson on Tuesday, March 12 and Oxford on Thursday, March 14. The events, hosted by Rep. Frank Sossamon, R-Granville, aimed to educate and empower the community to stand together in the fight against human trafficking.
The first half of both sessions was intended for law enforcement. During the second half (general public), staff from N.C. Stop Human Trafficking made presentations covering topics such as grooming, gangs and labor trafficking.
At both forums, CFSS staff members distributed handouts crafted by the Behavioral Health Subcommittee of the CFSS Multidisciplinary Team. The handouts feature tips for parents on how to talk to their children about human trafficking.
During the general public section of the Oxford forum, CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley told those assembled that grooming is among the most concerning school safety issues.
“Our children cannot feel safe if their climate is not safe,” she said. “Our children are most often targeted, especially at the middle schools and high schools.”
Click here to view an electronic copy of the Center for Safer Schools parent handout.
 Sossamon and Banesa Berumen with N.C. Stop Human Trafficking answer questions from attendees during the March 12 forum in Henderson.
 Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley speaks during a panel discussion with Tony Pustizzi (center) during the N.C. Coalition for Charter Schools’ Charter Advocacy Summit on March 8 in Raleigh. (CFSS photo)
Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley on Friday, March 8 participated in a panel discussion during the N.C. Coalition for Charter Schools’ Charter Advocacy Summit in Raleigh.
Fairley discussed “Keeping Your Students Safe” with Tony Pustizzi, who led the law enforcement response to the February 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shootings in Parkland, Fla.
Fairley told those assembled that open communication and threat assessment are important ways to help prevent school safety incidents.
“I think it’s knowing who is in the building and identifying problems before they occur,” she said.
Pustizzi, who lives in North Carolina, recalled the “tough sight” of the Parkland shootings.
“I don’t want it to happen here,” he said. “I’ve been through it.”
Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley addressed members of the Council on Educational Services for Exceptional Children during its virtual meeting Wednesday, March 6.
Fairley told the group that services for exceptional children is something that the CFSS is now focusing on. The eight school safety specialists, most of whom will begin in April, will support public-school units in addressing issues unique to that subgroup.
The guidance the CFSS issued for school threat assessment teams addresses special groups. The CFSS always accepts feedback on topics related to exceptional children, Fairley said.
“So we can make sure we’re sensitive and address concerns related to them,” she said. “We have to do what’s best for the children.”
 Center for Safer Schools Student Engagement Manager Stacie Alston (right) displays a SAVE Promise Club shirt during the Student Engagement Team's visit to Western Harnett High School in Lillington on March 7. (CFSS photo)
On Thursday, March 7, the Center for Safer Schools Student Engagement Team visited Western Harnett High School in Lillington for the Say Something Week event organized by its SAVE Promise Club. The team engaged with students during all four lunch periods, aiming to raise safety awareness within the school community.
The Student Engagement Team supported SAVE participants’ fundraising endeavors, which included collecting funds for this month’s National SAVE Promise Club Youth Summit in Charlotte as well as for club shirts and additional activities.
The Center for Safer Schools is committed to both supporting active SAVE Promise Clubs and helping to reactivate dormant clubs. If your SAVE club is planning an event and would like the Student Engagement Team’s involvement, send an email with the details to CFSS Student Engagement Manager Stacie Alston.
 The State Bureau of Investigation holds an active-shooter drill at the permanent Center for Safer Schools Training Center in Biscoe on March 12. (CFSS photos)
CFSS at Samarcand
The Center for Safer Schools Training Center at Samarcand and Samarcand Training Academy on Tuesday, March 12 hosted demonstrations for legislators, including an active-shooter drill held by the State Bureau of Investigation at the permanent CFSS Training Center in Biscoe. CFSS Executive Director Karen W. Fairley thanked the legislators for their support as renovations continue on the permanent facility at the former East Montgomery High School, which is scheduled to open in 2025.
ABOVE: Samarcand Training Academy Director Matthew Rebuck talks with Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley.
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To be eligible for funding from the School Safety Grant Program (contingent upon the passage of appropriations from the General Assembly), public-school units must have a complete and updated School Risk Management Plan, anonymous reporting system and panic alarm (hardwired or app). For more information, send an email to schoolsafetygrants@dpi.nc.gov.
School Bus Driver Appreciation Day is observed annually on the fourth Tuesday in April. This year, it falls on Tuesday, April 23.
The observance began informally in California. In 2009, the California legislature created the day to draw special public attention to school bus drivers in California for their contributions to students.
The Center for Safer Schools invites everyone in North Carolina school districts and charter schools to share photos of their favorite bus drivers. Submitted photos will be posted on CFSS social media on April 23. Send your photos (include the bus driver’s name and school) to cfss@dpi.nc.gov.
The Center for Safer Schools will hold in-person and online School Risk Management Plan trainings in the spring and at the 2024 RISE Back to School Safety Summit.
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.
To obtain the most beneficial training within the SRMP system, charter school personnel should ensure that their school has been loaded into the SRMP and that they have an active NCID and are able to log into SRMP. LEA personnel should make sure they can log into SRMP using their NCID.
If you are not able to log in, click here to try to reset your NCID password first.
Attendees are encouraged to bring a laptop, as they will receive technical guidance to ensure their plans meet the necessary state requirements. All sessions are the same.
For more information on SRMP training, send an email to CFSS Assistant Director-Physical Security Karen Everett.
Are you part of a tribal school or youth-serving organization that wants to implement Youth Mental Health First Aid? Are you implementing Youth Mental Health First Aid in tribal or rural schools or youth-serving organizations and would like instructor support?
YMHFA-related technical assistance and support could look like:
- School-specific or community mentorship and support
- On-site training modeling and mentoring
- Coaching and technical assistance
Technical assistance topics can include:
- Integrating YMHFA into your tribal community, tribal-serving youth organization and/or school
- Understanding the differences between the standard YMHFA course and the Tribal Communities and Indigenous Peoples Community Specific Course
- Resources to market and outreach to tribal leaders, school leaders, youth-serving organizations and programs
- Understanding historical and intergenerational trauma, the resilience of indigenous peoples and the implications of these with YMHFA
- Trauma-informed facilitation skills for YMHFA
- Adult-learning skills for YMHFA
- Navigating Connect: setting up and closing out a course
- Supporting a training group when there has been a community trauma (suicide, loss, etc.)
- Developing your community resource packet for YMHFA
- Developing relevant examples to share in your training (data, etc.)
- Integrating rural data, research and resources into YMHFA within your community
- Resources to market and outreach to rural schools and youth-serving organizations
- Meetings with other communities, schools and/or tribes navigating similar work to share best practices and successes
- Instructor support teaching YMHFA: challenges with timing, specific content, audience challenges, etc.
- Auditing a YMHFA course with a national trainer to gain tips and strategies to add to teaching notes
Start by taking this survey to share more about what your needs are. For program information, send an email to Ruby Brown-Herring with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
 Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley speaks to students at E.J. Hayes Elementary School in Williamston on March 15. (CFSS photo)
Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley is touring North Carolina school districts and charter schools and would like to see anything they want to showcase regarding school safety. For school districts, this includes 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.
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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