This week is National Safe Schools Week in the US, and many organizations have resources available to help improve the safety of our schools.  While I typically focus on a small slice of the school safety issues (security of door openings), the rest of the pie is extremely important in my other role – Mom.  Whether it’s bullying and harassment, weapons, drugs, mental health, violence prevention, social media, security personnel and procedures, or physical security, there is always more to learn.

This week is also Say Something Week, started by Sandy Hook Promise.  This campaign encourages kids to Say Something to a trusted adult when they hear threats of school violence or suicide.

The National Education Association (NEA) has provided a long list of educator resources on their website with links to each of the websites where more information can be found.

The National School Safety Center (NSSC) lists recommended strategies for working with various groups, including students and teachers, but also law enforcement, community leaders, and the media.

My coworker – Mark Williams of Allegion, wrote an article for this month’s edition of Domestic Preparedness highlighting some of the recommendations of the school security guidelines published by the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS).  The PASS toolkit can be downloaded here, and includes step-by-step guidelines to help schools identify potential threats and the security layers that should be employed.

Does your state or school district use a specific set of guidelines or best practices for school safety and security?  I’d love to hear about them!

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