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 Home > News & Policies > October 2006

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 10, 2006

School Safety Resources for Parents, Schools, Law Enforcement Officials, and Communities

     Fact sheet Conference on School Safety
     Fact sheet In Focus: Education

To Further The Goals Of The Conference On School Safety, The Following Lists Some Existing Resources For Parents, Schools, Law Enforcement Officials, And Communities. These resources deal with helping schools and communities prepare for and prevent school violence, and cope with and respond to instances of violence. The list also includes statistics and research on school safety.

Prevention And Preparedness

Promising Practices In School Emergency Management. Examples of emergency response plans implemented by school districts and States can be accessed online:

U.S. Department Of Education's Office Of Safe And Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) Emergency Planning Website. This site offers a list of crisis training resources, including information about the Emergency Response and Crisis Management Plan discretionary grant program and valuable resources for addressing all phases of crisis planning. It can be accessed at: http://www.ed.gov/emergencyplan.

U.S. Department Of Justice's Office Of Justice Programs (OJP) Safer Schools Website. This site offers a list of prevention and response programs and training resources, including information about discretionary grant programs and other valuable resources for addressing all aspects of school safety. It can be accessed at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/topics/saferschools.htm.

The Final Report And Findings Of The Safe School Initiative: Implications For The Prevention Of School Attacks In The United States. Following the attack at Columbine High School, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Department of Education launched the Safe School Initiative, an extensive examination of 37 incidents of targeted school shootings and school attacks that have occurred in the U.S. The Safe School Initiative's final report details how the two agencies studied school-based attacks and what they found. It is available at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html.

Threat Assessment In Schools: A Guide To Managing Threatening Situations And To Creating Safe School Climates. The companion to the Safe School Initiative's final report, this guide sets forth a process for identifying, assessing, and managing students who may pose a threat of targeted violence in schools. It is intended for use by school personnel, law enforcement officials, and others with protective responsibilities in our Nation's schools. The guide is available at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/index.html.

Office Of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) School Safety Package. The COPS School Safety Package addresses issues such as developing a successful school safety program and emergency response plan; assessing and reducing gang activity in your community; effective responses to reducing bullying in schools; responding to bomb threats against schools; community based approaches to reducing underage drinking; dealing with disorderly youth who congregate in public places; preventing school vandalism and break ins; and gun violence among youth. More information is available at: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=140.

Practical Information On Crisis Planning: A Guide For Communities And Schools. The U.S. Department of Education has developed this guide to provide schools and their communities with a general introduction to crisis management as it applies to schools and basic guidelines for developing school crisis management plans. The guide is available at: http://www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf.

Emergency Response And Crisis Management Grants. The purpose of the U.S. Department of Education's Emergency Response and Crisis Management discretionary grant program is to provide funds for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to improve and strengthen their emergency response plans. Information is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvpemergencyresponse/index.html.

Emergency Response And Crisis Management Technical Assistance (TA) Center Website. The ERCM TA Center's primary goal is to support schools and school districts in crisis management, including the development and implementation of comprehensive emergency and crisis response plans. The website offers resources such as guidance documents, web-based training sessions, updated information on the Department of Education's ERCM discretionary grant program, and newsletters addressing key issues. The site can be accessed at http://www.ercm.org.

Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.). The G.R.E.A.T. Program, sponsored by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance, is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom curriculum. The program's primary objective is prevention, and it is intended as an immunization against delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership. Five regional training centers provide training to sworn law enforcement officers to teach the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum in elementary and middle schools across the country. More information is available at: http://www.great-online.org/.

American Red Cross Masters Of Disaster Curriculum. The Masters of Disaster Curriculum Kit contains ready-to-go lesson plans, activities, and demonstrations on disaster-related topics that teachers can incorporate within core subject areas. While strengthening students' core academic skills in science, math, social studies, and language arts, the Masters of Disaster curriculum educates them about hazards that cause injury, death, and damage in the United States. The kit is available at: http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters/.

The School Shooter: A Threat Assessment Perspective. Published by the FBI, this resource presents a systematic procedure for threat assessment and intervention designed to be used by educators, mental health professionals, and law enforcement agencies. It is available at: http://www.fbi.gov/publications/school/school2.pdf.

Bomb Threat Response: An Interactive Planning Tool For Schools. The Bomb Threat CD-ROM is a free interactive planning tool for schools that includes staff training presentations and implementation resources. It focuses on providing a flexible process that will work for any school while ensuring that each school creates an effective plan tailored to its situation. The CD-ROM can be requested at: http://www.threatplan.org.

Conflict Resolution For School Personnel: An Interactive School Training Tool. This interactive CD-ROM from the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice is intended to aid school personnel in their responses to potentially violent situations. Five modules - anger, threats, attacks with weapons, suicide, and weapons on campus - are broken down into 12 didactic tutorials and 14 interactive scenarios. The CD-ROM can be ordered at: http://puborder.ncjrs.org/Content/search.asp.

School Crime Operations Package (School COP). The School Crime Operations Package (School COP) is a free software application for entering, analyzing, and mapping incidents that occur in and around schools. It enables a school or school district to enter, analyze, and map incidents, including school rule violations and crimes that occur in and around schools. School COP can include incident data from a single school or a school district. The software is available at: http://www.schoolcopsoftware.com/.

COPS Secure Our Schools (SOS) Initiative. The Secure Our Schools (SOS) Initiative, administered by the Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), addresses a variety of existing and emerging problems relating to school security. SOS grants help cover the cost of security measures such as the placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures; security assessments; security training for students and personnel; coordination with local law enforcement; and other measures that could significantly increase the school's security. More information may be accessed at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/topics/saferschools.htm.

COPS Safe Schools Initiative (SSI). SSI grants help State and local agencies with delinquency prevention, community planning and development, school safety resources, and technology development. Funding is aimed at preventing violence in public schools and supporting the assignment of officers to work in collaboration with schools and community-based organizations to address the threat of terrorism, crime, disorder, gangs, and drug activities. More information may be accessed at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/topics/saferschools.htm.

National Institute Of Justice (NIJ) School Safety Technology Development. NIJ, an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice, develops technology to support school resource officers and critical incident response through its School Safety Technology portfolio. NIJ provides technology assistance and guide publications to schools to help them assess response plans, proactively improve security, and procure appropriate technologies. More information is available at: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/schools/technology.htm#needsassessment.

Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training. ALERRT is designed to teach patrol officers to safely and effectively respond to, address, and stop an active shooter. ALERRT was developed in response to situations such as the Columbine High School shooting and teaches officers in active shooter versus barricade/hostage situations, tactical team movements, low light techniques, building approaches, and related tactics. More information on this program is available at: http://www.alerrt.com/.

Helping America's Youth Initiative. Helping America's Youth is a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the challenges facing our youth, particularly at-risk boys, and to motivate caring adults to connect with youth in three key areas: family, school, and community. The Community Guide to Helping America's Youth is an on-line resource to help communities assess their needs and resources and link them to effective programs to help youth in their neighborhoods and towns. The online tool helps determine what works best in order to make positive differences in children's lives. For more information on the online tool and how caring adults can get involved in helping young people, visit http://www.helpingamericasyouth.gov.

Hamilton Fish Institute (HFI). The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence is a national resource for the research and development of school violence prevention strategies. HFI offers training and technical assistance to build resources and encourage program development and enhancement within the areas of school and community safety. More information is available at: http://hamfish.org/cms/.

Youth Crime Stoppers. This prevention program involves students in a "Neighborhood Watch" capacity within the school setting where students act as the eyes and ears of law enforcement and school officials. This proactive strategy has a formal curriculum and training component and is being implemented successfully in school districts around the country. This initiative is part of the International Crime Stoppers. More information is available at: http://www.c-s-i.org/index.php.

Teens, Crime, And The Community Initiative. The Teens, Crime, and the Community (TCC) initiative has motivated more than one million young people to create safer schools and neighborhoods. The program helps teens understand how crime affects them and their families, friends, and communities, and it involves them in crime prevention projects to help make their communities safer and more vital. More information is available at: http://www.ncpc.org/programs/tcc/.

Montana Safe Schools Project. Operated under The University of Montana's Division of Educational Research and Service, the Montana Safe Schools project provides extensive outreach, training, research and professional development services to schools and communities across Montana and throughout the United States. More information on the project is available at: http://www.umders.org/projects.aspx?projectID=62&id=281.

National Clearinghouse For Educational Facilities. The National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities (NCEF) provides information on planning, designing, funding, building, improving, and maintaining safe, healthy, high performance schools. NCEF's website is located at: http://www.edfacilities.org/an/index.cfm.

Council For Educational Facilities Planners (CEFPI). CEFPI is a professional association committed to facilitating creative and responsible planning, design, construction, and renovation of schools and colleges, which will provide the most effective learning environments for students of all ages. CEFPI provides a network of experts and specialists on topics critical to effective educational facility planning. More information is available at: http://www.cefpi.org/.

Ready Kids Website. The Ready Kids website, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, features age-appropriate, step-by-step instructions on what families can do to be better prepared for natural disasters and other emergencies and the role kids can play in this effort. The site can be accessed at: http://www.ready.gov/kids/home.html.

The National Center For Disaster Preparedness. The National Center For Disaster Preparedness is an academically-based resource center based out of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health dedicated to the study, analysis, and enhancement of the Nation's ability to prepare for and respond to major disasters, including terrorism. The Center has posted school preparedness resources on their website at: http://www.ncdp.mailman.columbia.edu/program_school.htm.

School Violence Resource Center. The goal of the School Violence Resource Center is to help reduce violence and violence-related behavior in American schools. Resources available include fact sheets on school violence and prevention issues, training for School Resource Officers, and flip charts designed to serve as a quick reference for school administrators and teachers on how to react to school emergencies, including student violence, student injuries, child abduction, fire, and natural disasters. More information is available at: http://www.svrc.net/.

Community Crisis Preparedness Workshop (CCPW). Developed in cooperation with the School Violence Resource Center, the CCPW is designed to assist rural communities/counties in preparing and implementing strategic crisis management plans that can address a crisis event in schools or communities based on a formal collaboration of service providers. More information is available at: http://www.svrc.net/CCPW.htm.

Coping And Response

A Guide For Intermediate And Long-Term Mental Health Services After School-Related Violent Events. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services offers this guide outlining the roles of school-based service providers - including teachers, school counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and school nurses - in responding to the mental health needs of students after school-related violent events. The guide is available at: http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/NMH03-0151/

Project School Emergency Response To Violence (SERV) Grants. This program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education, funds short-term and long-term education-related services for Local Educational Agencies to help them recover from a violent or traumatic event that disrupts the learning environment. Immediate services assistance covers up to 60 days from the date of the incident. Extended services assistance covers up to one year from the incident. Information is available at: http://www.ed.gov/programs/dvppserv/index.html.

Tips For Helping Students Recovering From Traumatic Events. This brochure provides practical information for parents and students coping with the aftermath of a natural disaster or other school-related incident, as well as teachers, coaches, school administrators and others who are helping those affected. It is available at: http://www.ed.gov/parents/academic/help/recovering/index.html.

Reactions And Guidelines For Children Following Trauma/Disaster. Compiled by the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, this brief guide outlines what can be expected from students who have experienced a trauma and what teachers and parents can do to help children cope. It is available at: http://www.apa.org/practice/ptguidelines.html.

The Three R's For Dealing With Trauma In Schools: Readiness, Response, & Recovery. This comprehensive training package was produced by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, Harvard Public School of Health, The Prevention Institute, and the Education Development Center's Health and Human Development Programs. It is available online, along with companion materials and tools at: http://www.walcoff.com/prevention/.

National Center For Children Exposed to Violence. The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at the Yale Child Study Center works to increase the capacity of individuals and communities to reduce the incidence of violence on children and families; to train and support the professionals who provide intervention and treatment to children and families affected by violence; and to increase professional and public awareness of the effects of violence on children, families, communities and society. More information is available at: http://www.nccev.org/.

School Crisis Response Initiative. This bulletin describes an organizational model for school preparedness and effective responses to crises. Developed by the National Center for Children Exposed to Violence at the Yale Child Study Center, the School Crisis Response Initiative promotes specific training for school personnel as well as interested community members so they can respond more effectively to the needs of children after a crisis. The bulletin is available at: http://www.ovc.gov/publications/bulletins/schoolcrisis/welcome.html.

Research And Statistics

Youth Violence: A Report Of The Surgeon General. To address the troubling presence of violence in the lives of U.S. youths, the Surgeon General developed this report on youth violence, with a particular focus on the scope of the problem, its causes, and how to prevent it. The report is available at: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/youthviolence/.

Indicators Of School Crime And Safety, 2005. A joint effort by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, this annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides the most current detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools, school environments, and responses to violence and crime at school. It is available at: http://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/.

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