August 2024
Latest News
SchoolSafety.gov Launches Back-to-School Campaign
SchoolSafety.gov launched the 2024 Back-to-School Campaign, a month-long initiative that highlights resources, tools, and guidance to support K-12 communities in creating safe and supportive learning environments this school year. As part of the campaign, SchoolSafety.gov released two new infographics: a Back-to-School Checklist, which outlines seven actions that can help inform comprehensive school safety programs, and a Back-to-School Reading List, which offers ten resources that provide guidance and insights on timely school safety issues. SchoolSafety.gov has also developed a communications toolkit to help members of the K-12 community share information about the campaign and its resources. All materials can be accessed through the campaign webpage.
DHS Announces Membership to New Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the inaugural members of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board, a group of school safety experts and education leaders that will provide advice and recommendations on practical ways to enhance K-12 school safety and security. The Board builds upon the federal government’s efforts to support K-12 communities in creating safer, more supportive learning environments and fulfills a key requirement of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The Board will advise on the implementation of evidence-based school safety practices and propose additional best practices for publication on SchoolSafety.gov.
Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force Announces Recommendations and Best Practices for Safe Internet Use
The Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force, co-led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, released a new report with recommendations and best practices for safer social media and online platform use for youth. The report, Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth: Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry, provides a summary of the risks and benefits of social media on the health, safety, and privacy of young people; best practices for parents and caregivers; recommended practices for industry; a research agenda; and suggested future work, including for the federal government.
CISA Opens Registration for 2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) opened registration for the 2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security, scheduled to take place on September 25 and 26. The Summit is a virtual event that brings together K-12 school leaders and practitioners to discuss and share actionable recommendations that enhance safe and supportive learning environments. This year’s Summit will feature sessions covering violence prevention, emergency planning, youth online safety, student mental wellness, K-12 cybersecurity and student interventions and support. Registration is available here.
HHS Announces Grant Awards to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services
HHS, through SAMHSA, announced grant awards totaling $45.1 million to expand mental health and substance use services. $15.3 million of these grant awards will fund services specifically for children and youth, through supporting their mental health in school settings, serving children and families who have experienced traumatic events and grief, and providing services to young people who are at risk for, or have, serious mental health conditions. This includes $6.5 million in funding through Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education), a program that develops a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services.
NCES Releases 2023 Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the statistical center within the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences, released the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2023. This annual report, produced with contributions from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, examines the current state of school crime and safety in the United States. It covers topics such as active shooter incidents, criminal victimization, bullying, and safety and security measures.
SchoolSafety.gov is Now on Facebook
SchoolSafety.gov launched a new Facebook page as part of the site’s continued efforts to share information and resources on a range of school safety topics. Through the page, members of the K-12 community and the general public can receive regular updates on school safety guidance, grant opportunities, tools, and timely announcements.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Grants and Funding Opportunities
Stronger Connections Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Grant Program (Deadline: August 26)
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Grants Finder Tool for additional school safety-related funding opportunities.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
School Mental Health Virtual Learning Series: Culturally Responsive Instructional Supervision (August 13) – This webinar, hosted by the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center in collaboration with the National Center for School Mental Health, will explore how to create a culturally responsive ecosystem through teaching, school leadership, and instructional supervision. It will also discuss culturally responsive instructional supervision (CRIS), including implementation barriers and solutions to implement CRIS.
Responding to Bias and Discrimination in Schools (August 14) – This interactive workshop, hosted by the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, will provide an overview of the current context of bias and discrimination in schools, share individual sentence stems and systemic interventions to address biased language and behavior, and provide time to practice and integrate learnings into plans for the next school year.
Prioritizing Teacher Well-Being (August 15) – This webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Education, will explore the importance of maintaining and valuing teacher well-being and describe how effectively implementing initiatives to prioritize teacher well-being can positively impact school culture and student learning.
Creating a Culture of Support: Enhancing Staff Resilience in Emergency Situations (September 12) – This webinar, hosted by the National Center for School Safety, will provide information on improving systems around emergency drills through tailored training, gathering staff feedback, and identifying local resources. Participants will learn how to customize training for their districts, lead effective feedback sessions, and implement changes based on staff input.
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment (September 12, November 20, January 15) – These virtual training events, hosted by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC), will highlight key findings and implications from NTAC’s research on school violence prevention. This training will also provide guidance on how schools may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.
2024 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security (September 25 and 26) – This virtual event, hosted by CISA, will provide information on resources and recommendations to enhance safe and supportive learning environments. It will feature panel discussions, sessions, and keynote speakers covering topics such as violence prevention, K-12 cybersecurity, youth online safety, student mental wellness, emergency planning, and student interventions and support.
Preventing Mass Attacks in Our Communities (October 1, December 18, February 19) – These virtual training events, hosted by NTAC, will cover findings from NTAC’s research on mass attacks perpetrated in public and semi-public spaces, including businesses, houses of worship, schools, and more. This training will also provide guidance on how communities may develop or improve existing violence prevention programs utilizing a behavioral threat assessment model.
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Events Page for additional school safety-related webinars, conferences, and more.
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School Safety Resources
Bullying and Cyberbullying Resources
Key Considerations for Bullying Prevention
This guide presents key information that schools can consider as they develop and maintain bullying prevention programs. It provides an overview of bullying, bullying prevention, context-specific considerations, information on youth engagement and empowerment, and resources related to the intersection of social media and bullying.
What You Can Do
This webpage offers tips for parents, educators, and other members of the community on what they can do to help prevent and respond to bullying.
Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention Resources
Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being in Schools: An Action Guide for School and District Leaders
This guide describes six in-school strategies to promote and support mental health and well-being. It includes aligned approaches, or specific ways to put each strategy into action, as well as examples of evidence-based policies, programs, and practices.
Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults
This guide discusses effective programs and policies to prevent vaping among youth and young adults, challenges to reducing e-cigarette use and vaping, and program and policy implementation strategies that can be used to address these challenges.
Additional School Safety Resources
Bomb Threat Guide
This guide provides awareness and guidance in preparing for and reacting to a bomb threat. It assists decision makers with assessment of and response to received bomb threats.
Project iGuardian
This training program offers presentations designed to inform children, teens, parents, and trusted adults on the threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse, how to implement preventive strategies, and how to report suspected abuse to law enforcement.
Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Well-Being and Success: Strategies for Educators and School-Based Staff
This fact sheet discusses actions educators and school-based staff can take to support and respond to students’ needs in classrooms or other instructional settings. It highlights evidence-based practices staff can implement to make immediate, impactful changes and provides supporting tools and resources.
Visit SchoolSafety.gov for additional resources to support school safety and security efforts.
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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future newsletters, please contact us at SchoolSafety@hq.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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