Safety

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School safety is defined as schools and school-related activities where students are safe from violence, bullying and harassment, and the influence of substance use.

Safe schools promote the protection of all students from violence, exposure to weapons and threats, theft, bullying and harassment, the sale or use of illegal substances on school grounds, and other emergencies.  School safety is linked to improved student and school outcomes. In particular, emotional and physical safety in school are related to academic performance. At the same time, students who are victims of physical or emotional harassment or who are involved in the sale or use of illegal substances on school grounds are at risk for poor attendance, course failure and school dropout.

Featured Resources

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Outlines resources for addressing crises that occur in schools and school communities, and how to move forward in the aftermath of these crises.

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Presents a list of resources to support mental health during world crises. 

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Describes the problem of school violence and how behavioral threat assessment (BTA) became a widely implemented school violence prevention strategy, including considerations for the fit and appropriateness of using BTA in schools.

youth risk behavior survey

Provides an overview of the most recent data on health behaviors and experiences among high school students in the United States. Some of the key trends presented on adolescent health and well being include: sexual behaviors, substance use, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, mental health, and school connectedness.

Blue Campaign

Provides information to support school resource officers to recognize signs of and report suspected human trafficking. In addition, offers strategies to ensure potential victims or impacted students get connected with appropriate providers and support. 

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Presents data and reports on the implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) across U.S. states and other jurisdictions with the goal of strengthening the quality of GFSA data submissions. Features the development of a formal quality review process, including developing a set of business rules to detect issues related to data completeness and accuracy. 

America’s schools are often a primary source of supports for the mental health and general well-being of children and youth. These supports are particularly essential when students are struggling or experiencing trauma (e.g., contending with impact of COVID-19), while also experiencing adolescence. A key area of support schools can provide is building student resilience.  Building student resilience can mitigate the impact of adversities, enabling students to rise above the challenges they face and recalibrate their responses accordingly. This is especially the case when students have

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American Institutes for Research

U.S. Department of Education

The contents of the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments Web site were assembled under contracts from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Contract Number  91990021A0020.

This Web site is operated and maintained by AIR. The contents of this Web site do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the U.S. Department of Education nor do they imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.

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