School Safety: Back-to-School Checklist

Back-to-school season can be a time for K-12 school leaders and personnel to take stock of the policies, practices, and plans that can help create safe and supportive learning environments. While this checklist from SchoolSafety.gov is not comprehensive and each school has unique safety considerations, these actions may help K-12 communities in their preparations for a safe school year.

 Conduct a School Climate Survey.
Explore ready-to-use surveys and tools that can help you assess the status of your school’s safety, engagement, and environment factors and create a more positive school climate.

 Enhance the Mental Health Literacy of School Staff
Encourage teachers and school staff to learn more about youth mental health and ways they can support students experiencing adversity and distress in the classroom.

 Make a Plan to Ensure Students and Staff Know How and Where to Report Concerns.
Ensure that all members of the school community know their options for raising concerns about student wellness or safety, whether your school has a formal reporting mechanism in place or not.

 Inform Your School Community About Actions to Defend Against Cybersecurity Risks.
Provide educators, students, and staff with information on four simple steps that anyone can take to stay safe online and better protect against cyberattacks and threats.

 Learn About Child Exploitation and How to Address It.
Better understand the threat of online child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) and ways to combat it. You can also request an educational training to inform students, parents, and staff about CSEA, prevention strategies, and how to report suspected abuse to law enforcement.

 Evaluate Your School’s Physical Security and Identify Enhancements.
Take advantage of easy-to-use apps or tools to take inventory of your school’s physical security measures and determine potential improvements. You can also contact local security advisors who can conduct a tailored assessment of your school or campus.

 Review and Exercise Your Emergency Operations Plan.
Identify updates that could be made and ensure you have accounted for individuals with access and functional needs. You can also take advantage of tabletop exercise packages and interactive tools to incorporate best practices and support your emergency planning activities.