School Safety

Education news, analysis, and opinion about keeping students safe in the school building from bullying, violence, and environmental hazards, among other things

Explainer

School Resource Officers (SROs), Explained
Does the presence of armed officers prevent school violence? Do they contribute for Black children to the 'school to prison pipeline'?
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago.
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Democratic National Convention Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Chicago. She alluded to proposals to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education during her acceptance speech.
Gabrielle Lurie/AP
Federal Video WATCH: 5 Key Education Moments From the Democratic National Convention
Calls to end gun violence, Tim Walz's background as a teacher, and Project 2025 all made for key K-12 moments at the 2024 convention.
Libby Stanford, August 23, 2024
7 min read
People vote at Bedford Hills Elementary School in Lynchburg, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
People vote at Bedford Hills Elementary School in Lynchburg, Va., Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Paige Dingler/The News & Advance via AP
School & District Management Safety Risk or Civic Duty? Schools Can't Always Say No to Voters on Election Day
Schools are often obligated to serve as polling places, even as safety concerns have grown in recent years.
Mark Lieberman, August 23, 2024
5 min read
Exterior view of a typical American school building seen on a spring day
iStock/Getty Images
School Climate & Safety These Surprise Inspections Test Schools' Safety Practices
How do you check whether a school is adhering to safety-plan basics? Send in inspectors to try its doors.
Evie Blad, August 14, 2024
4 min read
Illustration about warnings, with a businessman and woman each holding a with megaphone in front of a caution symbol.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Infographic What CDC Safety Data Reveal About School Absenteeism, in Charts
New federal data show a rising number of students feel unsafe at school.
Sarah D. Sparks, August 14, 2024
2 min read
In this March 8, 2017 photo, Logan Cole walks down a hallway decorated with signs supporting him and his school at West Liberty-Salem High School, in West Liberty, Ohio. Logan, who was shot twice by a fellow student at the high school on Jan. 20, was adjusting to his first full week back at school after spending 15 days in Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus fighting for his life and then eventually returning to school part-time.
In this March 8, 2017 photo, Logan Cole walks down a hallway decorated with signs supporting him and his school at West Liberty-Salem High School, in West Liberty, Ohio. Logan, who was shot twice by a fellow student at the high school on Jan. 20, was adjusting to his first full week back at school after spending 15 days in Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus fighting for his life and then eventually returning to school part-time.
Jonathan Quilter/The Columbus Dispatch via AP
School Climate & Safety In Their Own Words How a Principal Who Stopped a School Shooting Learned to Be Vulnerable
Principal Greg Johnson talks about how his life changed after a school shooting.
Olina Banerji, August 8, 2024
6 min read
York City School District police officer Britney Brooks walks one of her rounds on March 8, 2018, at William Penn Senior High School in York. Brooks began working as a school police officer in 2015. The York City School District is the only one in York County with its own police department. Officers, who have the power of arrest, operate on a community policing ideology to prevent incidents rather than react to them.
York City School District police officer Britney Brooks walks one of her rounds on March 8, 2018, at William Penn Senior High School in York, Pa. School districts have had to get creative to fill school resource officer positions as police departments nationwide face recruiting challenges.
Chris Dunn/York Daily Record via AP
Recruitment & Retention Why This District Established Its Own Police Department
Police departments nationwide are struggling to recruit officers. That makes it difficult for districts to find school resource officers.
Caitlynn Peetz, August 7, 2024
7 min read
Crime scene tape with blurred cinematic tone
Prathaan/iStock/Getty
Student Well-Being The False Narrative of a Youth Crime Surge: What Educators Should Know
There's a prevailing narrative that youth crime is on the rise. The reality is more complicated, and it matters for schools.
Caitlynn Peetz, August 1, 2024
5 min read
Image of a school hallway with icons representing lockdowns, SRO, metal detectors.
via Canva
Federal Federal School Safety Clearinghouse Taps Diverse Array of Advisers
Educators, advocates, and parents whose children died in school shootings will advise officials on school safety.
Evie Blad, July 31, 2024
3 min read
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
School Climate & Safety Video Active Shooter Drills That Prepare But Don't Traumatize: Advice From Principals
Striking a balance is essential, principals say.
Olina Banerji & Sam Mallon, July 31, 2024
4 min read
Parents, students, and staff of Chino Valley Unified School District hold up flags and signs in favor of protecting LGBTQ+ policies at the school board meeting held at Don Antonio Lugo High School on June 15, 2023, in Chino, Calif.
Parents, students, and staff of Chino Valley Unified School District hold up flags and signs in favor of protecting LGBTQ+ policies at a school board meeting on June 15, 2023, in Chino, Calif. The district is now suing Gov. Gavin Newsom over a new law banning districts from requiring educators to notify parents if their child requests to use a different name or pronouns in school.
Anjali Sharif-Paul/The Orange County Register via AP
School Climate & Safety Student Pronoun Policies Put Teachers in a Tough Spot
Teachers have to navigate policies that require them to inform parents when students request the use of different pronouns.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 23, 2024
5 min read
Edyte Parsons, a teacher in Kent, Wash., pictured at her home on July 19, 2024.
Edyte Parsons, a teacher in Kent, Wash., pictured at her home on July 19, 2024. Parsons, who has experienced several instances of physical and verbal aggression while at work, has thought about leaving teaching.
Meron Menghistab for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Rising Reports of School Violence Are Pushing Teachers to Want to Quit
Educators are being met with violence and aggression from various sources, and it's causing them to consider leaving the profession.
Annie Goldman, July 22, 2024
10 min read
A crowd waits for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign event in Butler, Pa., on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
A crowd waits for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump to speak at the campaign event in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, before a shooting took place.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
School & District Management How Have School Leaders Responded to the Trump Shooting?
When a tragic national incident happens in the middle of the summer, do school officials feel compelled to respond?
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 16, 2024
4 min read
A tangled jumbled line leads from a moment of impact to a clear conclusion: a ban symbol.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School Climate & Safety Opinion ‘We Cannot Stop a Bullet’: A Principal Demands Better Gun Laws
When guns are easily accessible, not even the Secret Service can prevent every threat. Why would we expect teachers to do better?
Tracey Runeare, July 16, 2024
5 min read
Focus is on a flashing school bus stop sign in the foreground as a group of schoolchildren cross a parking lot with the help of a crossing guard in the distance.
E+
School Climate & Safety Roads Around Schools Are Unsafe, Principals Say. Here's What to Do About It
Traffic conditions aren't fully within school leaders' control. But there are still steps schools can take to help students arrive safely.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 10, 2024
4 min read