 August 2026
Latest News
Safer Schools Start with You: SchoolSafety.gov Launches Back-to-School Campaign
SchoolSafety.gov launched its annual Back-to-School Campaign earlier this month to support K-12 schools and districts in preparing for a safe school year. This year’s campaign focuses on the importance of a community-based approach to school safety and features two new resources, the Back-to-School Toolbox and Back-to-School Safety Actions one-pager. Visit SchoolSafety.gov to learn more and follow the campaign on SchoolSafety.gov’s Facebook and X accounts.
CISA Releases New Cybersecurity Resources for K-12 Schools and Districts
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the K-12 Cybersecurity Foundations Resource Package, a comprehensive collection of guides, videos, and supplemental materials to help K‑12 districts prevent, mitigate, and respond to prevalent cyber threats. The new resource package was developed in direct response to current K-12 cybersecurity challenges and includes resources tailored for school and district leaders, as well as cybersecurity and IT professionals. Explore the resources to find actionable steps and best practices to develop and maintain effective K-12 cybersecurity programs.
SchoolSafety.gov Issue Brief on Emergency Operations Plan Annexes
SchoolSafety.gov’s latest issue brief highlights how emergency operations plan annexes strengthen school safety, preparedness, and incident response. Download the brief to learn about the different types of annexes, examples of annexes, and engaging partners in the annex development process.
Recording Available: Virtual Training on Preventing Online Child Exploitation
The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse’s July 2026 virtual training on preventing and responding to online child exploitation is now available to watch online. This event featured experts from the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, who discussed current digital threats and corresponding strategies to keep children safe online.
Summer Safety Checklist: Strengthen Community Partnerships
Start the school year with strong school safety partnerships. Collaborating with community partners such as local law enforcement and mental health providers can help your school establish student support services, improve coordination before an emergency situation occurs, and address the unique security needs of your school community. This fact sheet provides guidance on initiating and managing collaborative emergency planning teams that involve community partnerships.
Upcoming Events and Opportunities
Grants and Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Deadlines
Safer Outcomes: Enhancing Crisis Response Training for Law Enforcement (Deadline: August 27)
Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (Deadline: October 15)
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Grants Finder Tool for additional school safety funding opportunities.
Events, Webinars, and Conferences
FERPA Scenarios: FAQs & Facts (August 26) – This webinar will present examples of student privacy scenarios faced by schools and districts and answer common questions about the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
Enhancing School Safety Using Behavioral Threat Assessment (September 16, November 18, January 20) – These virtual training events will highlight key findings from research on school violence prevention and provide guidance on how schools can develop or improve existing violence prevention programs using a behavioral threat assessment model.
Visit the SchoolSafety.gov Events Page for additional school safety webinars, conferences, and trainings.
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School Safety Resources
Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Reference Guide for K-12 Schools
This quick reference guide provides key strategies and corresponding worksheets to assess and respond to social media-based and other types of anonymous threats.
Bombing Prevention Assistance for K-12 Schools
This publication provides information on available products, tools, and trainings to address bomb threats.
Critical Incident Preparedness Toolkit: Assessing Capacity to Respond to Active Assailant Events
This self-assessment tool helps school administrators, security professionals, and emergency managers consider potential active shooter scenarios and options for response and recovery.
From the Field: Building Capacity and Collaboration for Safer Schools
This video provides practical, real-world examples of school safety work done by STOP School Violence grantees.
Parent Guide to Cyberbullying
This webpage provides tips to help parents and guardians prevent cyberbullying and protect children from harmful digital behavior.
Visit SchoolSafety.gov for additional resources to support school safety and security.
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If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future School Safety Community Bulletins, please contact us at SchoolSafety@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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