Back-to-school season is a time of excitement, anticipation, and at times, concern for school communities. In addition to the academic and administrative complexities a new school year can present, schools and districts also might contend with ongoing and evolving security challenges and threats.

Here are five resources from SchoolSafety.gov to ensure you have safety plans, procedures, and systems in place as you welcome students back to schools.

1. Back-to-School Infographic: It’s important to plan for a safe return to school by taking a holistic approach to school safety. While there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach, there are common elements schools should consider in creating and sustaining a safe learning environment. These span from planning and prevention activities to protection and mitigation measures, to response and recovery actions during and after an actual incident. By integrating these various school safety elements—and applying them to their individualized and unique needs, challenges, and settings—schools can create a safer campus on the first day of school and year-round.
2. School Safety Communications Center: The entire website has tailored resources for bullying and cyberbullying, mental health, school climate, threat assessment, emergency planning, targeted violence and more.
3. K-12 School Security Guide: This guide enhances understanding a systems-based approach to layered physical security, explains the various elements of a comprehensive school security system, and describes common challenges schools face in planning or making improvements. It has an accompanying training suite with web-based user training and train-the-trainer toolkit.
4. K-12 School Security Assessment Tool: Designed to be used in conjunction with the guide, this tool offers users a vulnerability analysis and provides recommendations for improving physical security based on provided specifications.
5. Grants Finder Tool: It’s a new tool that features federally available school safety-related grand opportunities, including a seven-question quiz that filters down on opportunities based on how you answer the questions.

At SchoolSafety.gov, you’ll find a comprehensive collection of one-pagers, presentations, newsletter bulletins, and materials to help support your school’s or your district’s safety efforts.

Source: Dateline NAESP, Sept. 2022.