- From the Executive Director
- 2025 SHINE Cohort
- Student Teaching Kickoff
- Active Assailant Simulation Training
- State Internships
- Youth Legislative Assembly
- BTAM Training
- SRMP Training
- YMHFA Training
- Executive Director Tours
- Calendar of Events
- Follow Us
- Tell Us About It
As we prepare for a new year, I want to thank all of you for supporting the Center for Safer Schools in 2024. From attending our trainings – including the RISE Back to School Safety Summit – to meeting with our Regional School Safety Specialists to sharing our social media posts, I appreciate the engagement and insight on safety issues in our public school units.
You can expect much more in 2025. We are preparing a variety of training opportunities and technical assistance.
This year, our staff more than doubled in size, of which I am grateful. Any open positions we have will be listed with the Office of State Human Resources and on CFSS social media. If you are dedicated, motivated and have leadership potential, you are welcome to apply online.
I encourage everyone to follow the Center for Safer Schools on social media to stay up to date with all the latest happenings. To sign up for our listservs (newsletter, School Safety Directors, SAVE Promise Club advisors), send an email to CFSS Public Relations Specialist Charles Kinnin.
Click here for my December video message, where I talk about the importance of safety while you’re out of school during the holiday break.
Thank you as we work together to keep our schools safer. I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
— Karen W. Fairley
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The Center for Safer Schools seeks one middle school from Eastern North Carolina and one from Western North Carolina to participate in the SHINE Leadership Academy 2025 Cohort.
The cohort will begin Feb. 10, 2025, and is expected to be completed by August 2025. The maximum number of middle school participants from each region is 15.
Students will take part in activities that will develop leadership skills, aid them in understanding healthy relationships and boundaries, provide them the basics of how to engage safely with social media and the internet, showing how to make good decisions, realizing the importance of community engagement and understand that students are intricate part of school safety.
Requirements are the following:
- Participants must be in grades 6-8.
- Participants must be active and engaged in SHINE workshops and activities.
- Participants must complete 40 hours throughout the school year (February-August 2025).
- Participants and their parent/guardian must attend RISE Youth Conference 2025.
Middle schools in the North Central, Northeast, Southeast and Sandhills regions may apply to represent Eastern North Carolina. Middle schools in the Piedmont-Triad, Northwest, Southwest and Western regions may apply to represent Western North Carolina.
Applications are due Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, by 5:00 p.m. Click here to apply. For more information, send an email to CFSS Student Engagement Manager Chelsea King.
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 Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley speaks during the N.C. State University College of Education’s Student Teaching Kickoff on Nov. 1 in Raleigh. (CFSS photo)
Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley on Friday, Nov. 1 made a presentation on school safety during the N.C. State University College of Education’s Student Teaching Kickoff in Raleigh.
Fairley briefed more than three dozen future educators on topics including gangs, school resource officers and mental health. She encouraged the group to always stay vigilant.
“There are so many things that could go wrong at a school other than a school shooting,” Fairley said. “When we say ‘critical incident,’ it’s not just an active shooter. School safety is all-encompassing.
“Every threat has to be investigated. What happens if we don’t investigate that threat and it turns out to be the one?”
Fairley discussed the role of teachers in preventing bullying, which – with cyberbullying – is consistently the No. 1 tip reported to the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System.
“As prospective teachers, we want you to help identify and bring it to a close as soon as possible,” she said.
 Attendees participate in Active Assailant Simulation Training at the Center for Safer Schools Training Center in Moore County on Nov. 7. (CFSS photo)
The Center for Safer Schools will host Active Assailant Simulation Training from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18; Thursday, Dec. 19; and Monday, Dec. 30 at the CFSS Training Center in Moore County.
Click these links to register: Dec. 18, Dec. 19, Dec. 30.
This course – for school resource officers and law enforcement – provides a simulation of active-shooter incidents. This course teaches best practices to prevent, recognize, plan and react to an active-assailant incident. Strategies are provided that can be applied in a facility’s Emergency Action Plan, including tactics on how to escape, hide and fight against an assailant attack.
For more information, send an email to CFSS School Safety Training Coordinator Jeff Branch.
College/university students can apply for internship opportunities with North Carolina state agencies until Jan. 6, 2025. Interns are provided with opportunities to learn about public service professions and state government through meetings, educational tours, networking and relevant work projects during the 2025 State Internship Program.
The internship lasts from May 19-July 25, 2025, with 40-hour work weeks and $15/hour pay. Applicants must be North Carolina residents attending a college or university, with a minimum GPA of 2.5. Students should coordinate with their academic institution if seeking academic credit.
Click here for more information. Click here to apply.
Applications are open for the 2024-2025 Youth Legislative Assembly, scheduled for March 7-9, 2025, in Raleigh. YLA is a mock legislative session where high school students voice their opinions and vote on issues concerning local, state and national government.
YLA teaches high school students about the laws governing North Carolina as well as the lawmaking process. Students draft, debate and vote on mock legislative bills while developing skills in research, interviewing, group facilitation and policy writing. As the bills are debated, the students get a chance to practice communicating their ideas, opinions and experiences in a team-building environment.
Any high school student in good standing at a public, private, charter or home school in North Carolina is eligible to participate. The application deadline is Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025.
Click here to apply. For more information, send an email to Erica.Gallion@ncleg.gov.
 Center for Safer Schools Assistant Director-Behavioral Health Dr. Stephanie Ellis conducts Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Training in Elizabeth City on Nov. 13 and Franklin on Oct. 28 (below). (CFSS photos)
The Center for Safer Schools will hold Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Training during the spring 2025 semester.
Virtual BTAM Office Hours will be held on Thursday, Dec. 12 from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Click here to register.
BTAM training is an updated training based on Session Law 2023-78/House Bill 605 for PSUs to review legislative requirements and best practice in implementation and development of BTAM teams. BTAM Office Hours are provided to PSUs to help provide technical assistance, consultation and support. Each BTAM Office Hours session begins with an implementation strategy for BTAM, and then PSUs are able to ask implementation questions and receive consultation and support.
For virtual trainings, note that you must attend Part 1 prior to Part 2. Also, Parts 1 and 2 must be attended completely to receive credit.
For more information on Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management Training, send an email to CFSS Assistant Director-Behavioral Health Dr. Stephanie Ellis.
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The Center for Safer Schools will hold School Risk Management Plan Training during the spring 2025 semester.
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 School Risk Management Plan Training, send an email to CFSS Assistant Director-Operations Karen Everett.
 Center for Safer Schools Regional School Safety Specialists Michael Furse and Zahiraakhira Sanchez (below) conduct Youth Mental Health First Aid Training at the Education Building in Raleigh on Nov. 14. (CFSS photos)
Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches adults who regularly interact with youth how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among children and adolescents ages 12-18. Certified instructors are authorized to teach YMHFA both in-person and online. Those trained can include school staff and administrators, law enforcement, mental health professionals and social workers.
CFSS Programs staff and Regional School Safety Specialists are certified to teach Youth Mental Health First Aid in North Carolina public school units. Click here to request YMHFA training facilitated by a CFSS staff member.
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Center for Safer Schools Executive Director Karen W. Fairley will resume tours of North Carolina school districts and charter schools in late January. She would like to see anything you want to showcase regarding school safety. For school districts, this includes stops at an elementary school, a middle school and a high school. She also would like to take time to talk with a small group of your students.
To schedule a tour, send an email to cfss@dpi.nc.gov. Thank you for your patience as she does what she can to get to as many public school units as possible.
BTAM Office Hours
- Thursday, Dec. 12, 9:00-10:30 a.m.: Register
Active Assailant Simulation Training
- Wednesday, Dec. 18; 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Center for Safer Schools Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road, Jackson Springs, N.C.: Register
- Thursday, Dec. 19; 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Center for Safer Schools Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road, Jackson Springs, N.C.: Register
- Monday, Dec. 30; 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.; Center for Safer Schools Training Center, 3600 Samarcand Road, Jackson Springs, N.C.: 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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