Physical Safety

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Physical safety refers to the protection of all stakeholders, including families, caregivers, students, school staff, and the community, from violence, theft, and exposure to weapons and threats, to establish a secure learning environment.

For students to learn, they need to feel safe.  It is essential that all students be able to attend schools that provide a safe environment where they can thrive and fully engage in their studies without the distraction and worry about physical safety concerns.

Featured Resources

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.

Crossing guard walking students across street

Presents data on crime at school from the perspectives of students, teachers, principals, and the general population from an array of sources. The 2021 edition of the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety is the 24th in a series of annual publications. Beginning with the 2020 edition, this report has been redesigned with the intention of increasing its usability for a wider audience. This report does so by highlighting selected findings from 23 indicators on various school crime and safety topics.

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. 

Community Violence Prevention

Addresses the direct link between gun violence and the rise in violent crime while providing immediate strategies and steps for gun control and preventing gun trafficking across state lines.

Front page of announcement resource

Enhances the Department Office for Civil Right's enforcement of Title IX in both elementary and secondary public schools and strengthen the ability of schools to respond to all incidents of sexual harassment and assault. Builds on the Department's work to implement the "Pass the Trash" provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which prohibits schools from simply moving employees who have committed acts of sexual misconduct.

Title webpage of the 2017-18 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) public-use data resource

Collects detailed information on crime-related topics from the perspective of schools, including the frequency of school crime and violence, disciplinary actions, the presence and activities of school security staff, and school practices related to the prevention and reduction of crime. Provides national estimates, while taking into account a number of factors, including the level of instruction, student enrollment size, and urbanicity.

State Report on the Implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA): U.S. States and Other Jurisdictions 2018-19 School Year (SY 2018-19)

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. 

 
 
Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting in the United States and How Educators Can Help

Provides information about female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and its prevalence in the United States. It highlights specific strategies educators, school-based health staff and school administrators, can use to identify and help girls who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing FGM/C.

First page of the U.S. Public School Students Enrolled in Schools With Violent Incidents and Hate Crimes resource

Estimates the number and percentage of public school students who were enrolled in a school where any violent incidents and hate crimes occurred at school in 2007–08 and 2017–18, as reported by school principals. Investigates whether these incidents occurred in schools in which a sworn law enforcement officer was present at least once a week.

Graphic of hand holding.

Provides research-based, user friendly materials trainers can use for in-person training events on assessing, preventing and intervening Teenage Dating Abuse.

IACP

Offers courses for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to gain knowledge and training via specific courses on school safety and other related topics.

Parents and stuents comforting one another

Focuses on changing norms, environments, and behaviors in ways that can prevent ACEs from happening in the first place as well as to lessen their harms when they do occur.

Protecting America's Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence

Dives deep into nine years of school tragedies, and it advocates for schools to establish comprehensive targeted violence prevention programs. Provides prevention measures to identify students of concern and assess their potential risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities.

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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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