This Resource Page describes sources of information on maintaining school safety and security as well as resources that help schools, law enforcement agencies, and other partners work together to address this issue. Other Resource Pages and Center Publications related to these topics include
- Violence Prevention for Schools
- Bullying and Bullying Prevention
- Preparing for and Responding to Crises in Schools
- Juvenile Justice
- Best Practices—The Role of Law Enforcement in School Safety [pdf]
Web sites
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
(http://www.cops.usdoj.gov) is a Department of Justice program that works to build partnerships between law enforcement agencies and schools and help partnerships use community policing and School Resource Officers to prevent school violence. The School Safety: Guides and Reports section of this Web site includes publications and resources on school resource officer programs, bomb threats, assessing school-related crimes, school safety, and vandalism. The School Safety: Links to Other Resources section features resources such as School COP, free software that helps schools analyze and map incidents that occur in and around schools, and links to school safety information available from other agencies and organizations, such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and the National Association of Police Athletic Leagues.
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
(http://www.nasro.org) provides services and training to assist school districts in developing school safety programs and law enforcement partnerships. The NASRO Web site offers news and resources for school resource officers, including a Library of Contracts and Forms that includes general contracts, job descriptions, memoranda of understanding, a Field Training and Officer Manual, Class Evaluation forms, and other materials. The Library also offers a Traffic Safety and Education Toolkit for School Resource Officers.
National Center for Law Enforcement School Violence Resource Center
(http://www.svrc.net/default.htm) is funded by the U.S. Department of Justice to reduce violence in schools. It includes a School Resource Officer (SRO) Desk Reference providing model policies and procedures, guidelines for conducting student searches, and information on bomb threats, gang identification, bullying, mentoring, and drug education. The SRO Resources section of the website contains additional resources for school resource officers.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) (http://www.ncjrs.gov/) is a Federally-funded resource that offers reference and referral services to answer questions about crime and justice-related research, policy, and practice. Two important resources available on the NCJRS Web site are:
• NCJRS Abstracts Database (http://www.ncjrs.gov/abstractdb/search.asp) contains over 185,000 publications, reports, congressional hearing transcripts, training materials, and other resources. The library includes many resources on law enforcement and school safety, including "Role of Law Enforcement in Public School Safety: A National Survey", and "Comparison of Program Activities and Lessons Learned Among 19 School Resource Officer (SRO) Programs."
• In The Spotlight: School Safety (http://www.ncjrs.gov/spotlight/school_safety/Summary.html) section of the NCJRS Web site contains links and publications organized around Facts & Figures, Legislation, Publications, Training and Technical Assistance, Grants & Funding, and Related Resources. Publications include "Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2005"; "Effectiveness of School-Based Violence Prevention Programs for Reducing Disruptive and Aggressive Behavior"; "SRO Performance Evaluation: A Guide to Getting Results"; and "2004 NASRO School Resource Officer Survey."
National School Safety Center (NSSC)
(http://www.schoolsafety.us/) provides information, resources, and training and technical assistance for schools and school safety partners on preventing violence and crime. The Web site identifies strategies and promising practices and programs that support safe schools. NSSC also offers a number of resources to help schools manage and respond to the threat of terrorism.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
(http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.gov) is an office within the U.S. Department of Justice that works to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and victimization. The School Safety section of the OJJDP Web site includes publications and resources on issues including safe schools policies, school re-entry, school resource officer training, school crime watch programs, and truancy prevention.
Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools
(http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html) is an office of the U.S. Department of Education Web site dedicated to drug and violence prevention and safer and healthier schools. The Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools Web site provides information and U.S. Department of Education publications on topics including emergency planning, truancy prevention, and implementing the Gun Free Schools Act. It also indexes and links to useful publications on school safety and security from other U.S. Department of Education programs and offices.
School Safety Centers
A number of state departments of education have funded state school safety centers that provide technical assistance and resources on school safety and security, violence prevention, bullying, emergency preparedness and response, and how schools and law enforcement agencies can work together. While technical assistance is usually only available to schools and districts located in the same state as the safety center, many of the other resources and publications are available to anyone. An interactive map and linked list of school safety centers can be found at SafetyZone (http://www.safetyzone.org/state_centers.html).
Publications Available Online
The Appropriate and Effective Use of Security Technologies in U.S. Schools: A Guide for Schools and Law Enforcement Agencies
(http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/178265.htm).
Washington, DC: National Institute for Justice, 1999.
This guide helps school administrators and law enforcement officials analyze a school's vulnerability to violence, theft, and vandalism, and technologies to address these problems. The publication offers guidance on security concepts and operational issues, video surveillance, weapons detection devices, entry controls, and duress alarms.
Building Security Into Schools
(http://www.aasa.org/publications/saarticledetail.cfm?ItemNumber=3861&sn
ItemNumber=950&tnItemNumber=951) by John Kosar and S. Farliq Ahmed. School Administer. February 2000.
An introduction to school safety through design of the physical environment and security hardware.
The Center for Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) at the University of Colorado (http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/index.html) offers a number of publications on school safety and security. These include factsheets (available at http://www.colorado.edu/cspv/publications/factsheets.html) on
• Creating a Crisis Plan
• Implementing An Effective School Resource Officer Program
• Responding to Violence in Schools
• Safe School Planning
• Recommendations for Safe School Plans
• Community Policing, Schools, and Mental Health
• Gun Control Efforts (policy statement)
• Student Profiling (policy statement)
The Fundamentals of School Security (http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest132.html) (ERIC Digest 132 - November 1999) by Joan Gaustad.
Topics discussed in this ERIC Digest include assessing school security, making facilities more secure, attitudes and behaviors that promote security, and the importance of crisis response planning.
Indicators of School Crime and Safety, 2005 (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/iscs05.htm) Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics and National Center for Education Statistics, 2005.
This annual report examines crime occurring in school as well as on the way to and from school. It also provides detailed statistical information on the nature of crime in schools, school environments, and responses to violence and crime at school.
Newer Technologies for School Security (http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest145.html) (ERIC Digest 145 - February 2001) by Tod Schneider.
This short publication discusses several categories of technology that can be used to deter intruders in schools, including keys and smart cards, metal detectors, alarm systems, and surveillance equipment.
Safer Schools Through Environmental Design
(http://eric.uoregon.edu/publications/digests/digest144.html)
(ERIC Digest 144 - January 2001) by Tod Schneider.
This publication explores Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), a strategy that creates desired behavior through specific environmental changes, including natural surveillance, natural access control, and territoriality (establishing recognized authority over an environment as well as a sense of belonging).
Safe Schools Manual: A Resource on Making Schools, Communities, and Families Safe for Children (http://www.nea.org/schoolsafety/safeschoolsmanual.html) Washington, DC: National Education Association, 2005
This publication synthesizes the research on school safety and offers guidelines on making children safe in schools, communities, and families. The first section discusses establishing a school safety committee, developing and implementing action and crisis management plans, and monitoring and assessing progress. The second section discusses involving community leaders, forming a community safety committee, and conducting a survey. The third section discusses working with parents. Appendices include school safety checklists, action plans for various types of emergencies, school crime, vandalism, and violence reporting forms.
The Safety Zone’s Safe and Secure: Guides To Creating Safer Schools (http://www.safetyzone.org/safe_secure.html) is a series of guidebooks developed by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory to provide schools and school districts with information and resources supporting comprehensive safe school planning efforts. The books in this series include:
- Guide 1: Creating Schoolwide Preventions and Intervention Strategies
- Guide 2: School Policies and Legal Issues Supporting Safe Schools
- Guide 3: Implementing Ongoing Staff Development To Enhance Safe Schools
- Guide 4: Ensuring Quality School Facilities And Security Technologies
- Guide 5: Fostering School-Law Enforcement Partnerships
- Guide 6: Instituting School-based Links with Mental Health and Social Service Agencies
- Guide 7: Fostering School, Family, And Community Involvement
- Guide 8: Acquiring and Utilizing Resources To Enhance And Sustain A Safe Learning Environment.
Secret Service Safe Schools Initiative at the National Threat Assessment Center (http://www.ustreas.gov/usss/ntac_ssi.shtml) publications include:
- Final Report and Findings: Implications for Prevention of School Attacks in the United States
- Threat Assessment in Schools: A Guide to Managing Threatening Situations and to Creating Safe School Climates.
- United States Secret Service Safe School Initiative: An Interim Report on the Prevention of Targeted Violence in Schools
- Evaluating Risk for Targeted Violence in Schools
Trends and Issues: School Safety (http://eric.uoregon.edu/trends_issues/safety/index.html) Eugene, OR: Clearinghouse on Educational Policy and Management, 2001
A discussion of strategies and methods for safeguarding schools from violent incidents, including discussions of student profiling, building security, sentences for juvenile offenders, and school-based intervention and prevention programs.
