January 2025
Latest News
New Federal Resources to Help Schools Improve School-Based Active Shooter Drills
The U.S. Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and Homeland Security (DHS) released new resources to help schools design and deploy school-based active shooter drills. The majority of schools use drills to prepare for an active shooter situation. However, there is very limited research on how to design and deploy these drills to maximize their impact and minimize any harms they might cause. The new resources, developed in response to a September 2024 Executive Order, will help schools improve drills so they can effectively prepare for an active shooter situation while also preventing or minimizing any trauma school communities may experience in performing drills. The new resources include ED’s Considerations for Education Leaders in Preparing for Active Drills in Schools, which provides substantive considerations school officials can use to plan for before, during, and after school-based active shooter drills.
January Is Human Trafficking Prevention Month
January is recognized as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Human trafficking can happen to anyone, but children can be especially vulnerable since they are young and may not have the skills to make informed decisions when presented with a situation that may lead to trafficking. Explore the resources on SchoolSafety.gov to learn more about youth human trafficking and how schools can prevent, recognize, and respond to this crime. Additional human trafficking resources can be accessed through DHS’s Blue Campaign.
ED Shares Resources for School Communities Following Natural Disasters
ED has curated resources, including those developed by other federal agencies and organizations, to assist schools in dealing with impacts of natural disasters. These resources can help educational institutions restore the teaching and learning environment as well as support whole community recovery efforts. Schools can also access a range of emergency planning resources, including those specific to recovery, on SchoolSafety.gov.
CDC Reports Increase in Respiratory Illness Activity
Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show increases in cases of COVID-19, seasonal influenza, and RSV across the country. As the winter season continues, schools can take action to prevent and control the spread of infectious diseases by increasing everyday actions, such as promoting proper hand hygiene and improving indoor air quality, and implementing additional prevention strategies during times of elevated illness.
Government Highlights Free Resource to Protect K-12 Schools from Cyber Attacks
The federal government is highlighting Protective Domain Name System (PDNS) services as an effective cybersecurity tool to protect K-12 school systems and data. PDNS services help avert ransomware and other cyberattacks by preventing computer systems from connecting to harmful websites. There are a variety of technology companies and other organizations that can provide PDNS services to schools, including the federally-funded Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center, which offers the tool for free to all K-12 public school districts and libraries. Schools in Rhode Island recently signed a pledge to adopt PDNS by June 30, making it the first state to partner with the federal government to incorporate this cyber service and better protect the data and systems of their schools.
Data Privacy Week Takes Place January 27–31
Data Privacy Week is an international effort to spread awareness about online privacy and data security. Cyberattacks like data breaches are an increasingly significant and widespread problem for K-12 schools and school districts, which store extensive amounts of sensitive and personal data. During Data Privacy Week, explore cybersecurity and data breach resources to learn how K-12 schools can protect against cyberattacks and keep their data private.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Grants and Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Deadlines
Informational Webinars on Funding Opportunities
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Grants Finder Tool for additional school safety-related funding opportunities.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
From Awareness to Action: Recognizing and Reporting Human Trafficking (January 21) – This webinar, hosted by DHS’s Blue Campaign, will cover what human trafficking is, who trafficking affects and how traffickers operate, indicators of potential human trafficking situations, and resources available to support communities.
National Student Privacy and Data Security Winter Webinar Series (January 22 and 29) – This webinar series, hosted by ED’s Student Privacy Policy Office and its Privacy Technical Assistance Center, includes the following remaining sessions:
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FERPA 201 and Transparency (January 22) – This webinar will explore scenarios faced by schools and districts and highlight the Privacy Technical Assistance Center's research on transparency.
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Incident Response and Vetting Educational Technology (January 29) – This webinar will lead participants through a simulated data breach and explore how to assess online educational technology for privacy protections and general FERPA compliance.
Assessing and Responding to Anonymous Threats of Violence in the K-12 Environment (January 30) – This virtual training, hosted by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, will feature a facilitated discussion with school and district leaders on their experiences with managing anonymous threats of violence. The discussion will cover anonymous threat trends affecting K-12 schools, the criticality of early awareness and deterrence, key law enforcement and community partners, and appropriate response actions.
SAMHSA’s 21st Prevention Day: Telling the Prevention Story (February 3) – This in-person event, hosted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will explore current, emerging, and innovative strategies, policies, programs, practices, and research related to advancing the prevention of substance use.
The Power of Partnerships: Collaborating to Strengthen K-12 Energy Infrastructure (February 19) – This webinar, hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy, will highlight different partnership models that can help school districts move forward with making energy improvements that reduce utilities and costs and enhance learning environments.
Preventing Mass Attacks in Our Communities (February 19, April 16, June 18) – 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.
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment (March 19, May 21, July 16) – 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.
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Events Page for additional school safety-related webinars, conferences, and more.
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School Safety Resources
Human Trafficking Resources
How to Talk to Youth About Human Trafficking: A Guide for Caretakers and Individuals Working with Youth
This guide includes information on what human trafficking is, how to recognize it among youth, tips for talking to youth about general exploitation, information about building life skills that may help prevent youth from being trafficked, and reporting options.
Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Strategies for Vulnerable Students
This tip sheet offers strategies K-12 educators can use to help prevent vulnerable students from being trafficked or exploited.
Mental Health Resources
Disaster Distress Helpline
This toll-free, multilingual, crisis support service is available 24/7 to all residents in the U.S. and its territories who are experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.
Understanding Key Components to Support Trauma-Informed School Change
This video shares information and strategies to sustain trauma-informed practices in schools. It highlights key approaches such as developing administrative buy-in, engaging stakeholders, and utilizing a whole-school approach to meet the needs of children, including those impacted by trauma.
Working Well Resource Directory
This resource directory is designed to help districts and schools promote well-being among administrators, teachers, and other staff.
Physical Security Resources
Bomb Threat Preparedness and Response
This self-paced, web-based training familiarizes participants with the steps necessary to prepare for and respond to a bomb threat.
Implementing Physical Safety Measures Effectively at Schools
This resource is a compilation of practice profiles highlighting considerations for improving physical safety for schools and classrooms in the context of school-based gun violence. It describes considerations for implementation within a larger multi-tiered system of supports framework and provides specific practice profiles for classroom practices, outdoor and entrance practices, and communication protocols.
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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