Podcast Series Spotlights Firearm Safety
A joint venture podcast interview series from the National Center for School Safety and the University of Michigan Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention helps listeners understand the intersection of school safety strategies and firearm-related injury.
New Jersey Lawmakers Continue Push for Mental Health Reform
After a string of laws passed in New Jersey to strengthen mental health resources, the latest mental health bill being considered in the New Jersey Legislature goes too far, interfering with parental roles, say opponents.
Virtual Training to Spotlight Funding Opportunities
The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse will present a virtual training opportunity to share federal school safety grants available to the K-12 community on March 26 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. Representatives from various departments will share overviews of open and upcoming funding opportunities, eligibility requirements and deadlines, and examples of past grantee projects to help interested applicants consider how these programs could be applied towards their own school safety efforts.
Measles Outbreak Continues Across U.S.
Measles—all but eliminated from the United States in 2000—is making a comeback, with unvaccinated students and travelers helping to spread the disease, which officials call “the most easily transmitted human virus presently in circulation.”
Registration Open for the 2024 National School Safety Conference
Registration is open for the 34th National School Safety Conference, to be held at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa from July 14 - 19, 2024.
Say Something Week Kicks off Month of Awareness
Thousands of students nationwide join together March 4-8 to prevent school violence during Say Something Week, an initiative led by Sandy Hook Promise.
Chicago Schools Embrace New Safety Strategy
Board members with Chicago Public Schools vote to remove SROs from schools across the district in a move that supporters applaud, and critics denounce.
School Threat Assessment in Florida Shared
The National Center for School Safety released a video this week in which Dr. Jenn Maeng presents findings from a new technical report that examines threat assessment implementation in Florida Public Schools.
Nashville Schools Implement AI Weapon Detection Technology
Metro Nashville schools implement new AI technology to detect firearms on campus, while a new poll shows more than a third of Tennessee parents cite “my child’s safety” in school as a top concern.
SVPP Grants Opening Soon
Grants designed to improve security at schools and on school grounds through the implementation of evidence-based school safety programs and technology will open for applications in March.
Awards through the COPS Office of School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) seek to fund projects which include funding of civilian personnel to serve as coordinators with local law enforcement, training for local law enforcement officers, purchase and installation of certain allowable equipment and technology, and other measures to significantly improve school security.
NC2S Shines Spotlight on Swatting
A recent webinar hosted by the National Center for School Safety with staff from the city of Franklin, New Hampshire, and the Franklin School District focused on the response to a swatting incident they experienced in 2022. Here, the NCSS condenses the webinar into eight lessons learned.
School Safety and Security Lab Offered for First Time at AASA’s 2024 National Conference on Education
There’s still time to register for the National Conference on Education, to be held Feb. 15-17 in San Diego, California, and hosted by The School Superintendents Association (AASA). For the first time, the annual conference will offer a School Safety and Security Lab, and looks to share the latest insights, strategies, and best practices to help school districts succeed.
Nominations Open for SRO Awards
Nominations are open for awards to be presented to School Resource Officers and school-based policing at the National Association of School Resource Officers’ annual School Safety Conference.
Iowa Schools Wrestle with Security Options Following Deadly Shooting
Wednesday marked the first day students in all grades returned to classes in Perry Community School District following the January 4 shooting in which a 17-year-old student killed a sixth grader and wounded seven others—including Perry High School Principal Dan Marburger, who later died from his injuries. The tragedy has sparked debate and conversations about everything from school security funding and using AI to quickly identify firearm threats to the availability of mental health services in schools and arming teachers.
School Mental Health Resources are Working, Report Indicates
Increased mental health and intervention resources at schools across the country over the past few years may be the catalyst for a reduction in bullying incidents at schools, based on numbers reported in the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2021–22 report released this month from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Grants Address Violence, Student Mental Health
New grants awarded from the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) are designed to address community violence and its effects on student mental health. The $6.4 million in funding is part of the Project Prevent grant program.
Uvalde Mistakes Identified in Federal Report: Schools Struggle to Make Mandated Changes
A recently released federal report on the Uvalde mass shooting identified the lack of communication and response of the hundreds of officers who responded to the mass shooting at last year’s Uvalde school shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022.
Pennsylvania Encourages Schools to Apply for School Safety Funding
State Sen. Katie Muth (D-Chester/Mongomery/Berks) urged schools across Senate District 44 to apply for Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)’s school safety and security funding.
Utah Names New State Security Chief
The Utah Department of Public Safety has appointed Matt Pennington to the newly created position of state security chief.
Universities Strive to Find Balance in Free Speech, Safety
As the spring semester starts on campuses across the country, officials say they are attempting to balance free speech and expression with safety concerns for students, faculty and staff.