December 2024
Latest News
SAMHSA Publishes Resources to Help Communities Address Trauma from Gun Violence
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released new resources to help communities address the mental health impacts of gun violence. These resources include tips for helping children cope with grief, best practices for schools to address trauma and behavioral health, and lessons learned from community programs. These resources aim to support the resilience and recovery of children, youth, and families affected by traumatic events.
Online Safety During Winter Break
Children may spend more time online while at home during winter break. To promote digital safety and help protect students against forms of online exploitation, school communities can educate families about online risks and how to avoid them, as well as encourage open and ongoing communication on safe digital habits. Learn more and find resources to prevent online exploitation on SchoolSafety.gov.
SAMHSA Releases Data on Drug Use and Behavioral Health of LGB+ Youth
SAMHSA released Behavioral Health of Adolescents Across Sexual Identities: Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a new infographic report highlighting data pertaining to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and any non-heterosexual identifying youth. This report offers considerations for schools working to address LGB+ youth and student mental health issues. The survey indicates that LGB+ youth are more likely than straight youth to experience mental health issues, including major depressive episodes (MDE) and serious thoughts of suicide. Substance use patterns among LGB+ youth vary by sex assigned at birth, with co-occurring MDE and substance use disorders being more prevalent among LGB+ youth. Regardless of sexual identity or sex assigned at birth, over 90% of youths report having someone to talk to about serious problems.
DHS Know2Protect Expands Efforts to Combat Online Child Exploitation with Project iGuardian®
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) released the Fiscal Year 2024 report for Project iGuardian, the in-person educational arm of DHS’s Know2Project national public awareness campaign to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by HSI special agents and other subject matter experts, these audience-specific Project iGuardian presentations share information about the dangers of online environments, how to stay safe online, and how to report abuse and suspicious activity. To learn more about HSI’s Project iGuardian or request an iGuardian presentation for your school, visit Know2Protect.
Plan for 2025 with SchoolSafety.gov
The School Safety Communications Center offers a wealth of resources to support school safety efforts in 2025. Explore the one-pagers, issue briefs, newsletters, and virtual training materials to find valuable insights and strategies to address specific school safety issues and create safer, more supportive learning environments. Don’t forget to come back to the Communications Center throughout the new year to find additional school safety materials and publications as they are released.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Grants and Funding Opportunities
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Grants Finder Tool for additional school safety-related funding opportunities.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
Leveraging Emergency Management to Prepare and Plan for a Mass Violence Incident (December 12) – This webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, will explore promising practices and lessons learned from an emergency management perspective to prepare and plan for a mass violence incident. The event will also include information on resources available to help communities. This webinar is part of a series that spotlights topics from the Critical Incident Review: Active Shooter at Robb Elementary School report.
Preventing Mass Attacks in Our Communities (December 18, February 19, April 16) – These virtual training events, hosted by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (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.
STOP School-Based Community Violence Intervention (CVI) Approaches – Safe Passage (December 19) – This webinar, hosted by DOJ and LISC Safety & Justice, will assist participants in identifying how school and CVI partnerships use school and community data - along with relationships between students, families, and school staff - to create a Safe Passage program. Safe Passage programs place trained and trusted adults in locations around the school where violence is prevalent.
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment (January 15, March 19, May 21) – These virtual training events, hosted by 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.
SAMHSA's 21st Prevention Day: Telling the Prevention Story (February 3) – This in-person event, hosted by SAMHSA, will explore current, emerging, and innovative strategies, policies, programs, practices, and research related to advancing the prevention of substance use. The 2025 theme, "Telling the Prevention Story," underscores sharing the successes of prevention and inspiring action.
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Events Page for additional school safety-related webinars, conferences, and more.
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School Safety Resources
Infectious Diseases and Public Health Resources
Everyday Actions for Schools to Prevent and Control the Spread of Infections
This guidance outlines routine actions and strategies to help keep students healthy by minimizing the spread of infections in school settings.
When Students or Staff are Sick
This resource provides strategies to help schools slow the spread of infectious diseases when children or staff become ill.
Online Safety and Child Exploitation Resources
Carter's Story: Blue Campaign Youth Animated Video Series
This animated video series raises awareness of how to keep young people safe while playing online video games and provides tips to parents and adults working with youth on how to recognize signs of human trafficking.
Cyber Safety for K-12 Schools and School Districts
This webpage includes information on the most common online threats students face and describes how school and school district administrators can prepare for and respond to digital risks.
No Escape Room
This interactive film follows the story of a 15-year-old boy's exploitation online. It is intended to raise awareness of how quickly and easily children can fall victim to online exploitation and includes resources on sextortion.
Online Safety Strategies and Resources
This issue brief provides information on online safety threats; specific strategies for parents and guardians, school communities, and youth; and resources to support schools and families in preventing and protecting against digital risks.
Additional School Safety Resources
Safe Storage of Firearms
This guide provides information on different types of storage devices and best practices for safely storing firearms.
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@mail.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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