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

Greeley Police Officer Steve Brown stands in the hallway during passing periods at Northridge High School in Greeley, Colo. on Oct. 21, 2016. While school resource officers, like Brown, are expected to handle responsibilities like any police officer they're faced with unique challenges working day-to-day in schools
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'?
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People gather in Pliny Park in Brattleboro, Vt., for a vigil, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, for the three Palestinian-American students who were shot while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt., Saturday, Nov. 25. The three students were being treated at the University of Vermont Medical Center, and one faces a long recovery because of a spinal injury, a family member said.
People gather in Pliny Park in Brattleboro, Vt., for a vigil, Monday, Nov. 27, 2023, for the three Palestinian-American students who were shot while walking near the University of Vermont campus in Burlington, Vt., Saturday, Nov. 25. Tensions over the Israel-Hamas war are playing out in schools and colleges across the country, including some K-12 schools.
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management Rising Tensions From Israel-Hamas War Are Seeping Into Schools
As effects of the war reverberate in school communities, schools have federal responsibilities to create discrimination-free environments.
Elizabeth Heubeck, November 29, 2023
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5 min read
Gun safety and domestic violence prevention organizations gather outside of the Supreme Court before oral arguments are heard in United States v. Rahimi on Nov. 7, 2023, in Washington.
Gun safety and domestic violence prevention organizations gather outside the U.S. Supreme Court before oral arguments are heard in <i>United States</i> v. <i>Rahimi</i> on Nov. 7, 2023, in Washington.
Stephanie Scarbrough/AP
Law & Courts U.S. Supreme Court Takes Up Major Gun Case With School Safety in Backdrop
The principle that guns may be barred from schools may bolster a federal law restricting firearm possession by domestic abusers.
Mark Walsh, November 7, 2023
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6 min read
Illustration of teen boy making threats on social media.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety Opinion The Troubling Legal Gap in Schools' Ability to Prevent Mass Shootings
I'm a school district lawyer. You don't want to know how many principals bring me violent threats they're not sure how to act on.
Chris W. McCarty, November 1, 2023
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5 min read
Rear view of a father standing with his unsure, young son who is wearing a blue backpack and clinging to his dad's side while holding his hand. Blurred school building in background.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety How Schools Can Respond When Kids Are Too Scared to Come
A school psychologist has advice on how to respond to children traumatized by violence in their community.
Elizabeth Heubeck, October 31, 2023
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3 min read
People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.
People sign "I love you" while gathered at a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.
Matt Rourke/AP
School Climate & Safety Lewiston Schools Plan Reopening; Parents Feel Like Nothing Will Be the Same
Schools in the Maine city will reopen Tuesday after a mass shooting that killed 18 people.
Kendra Caruso, Sun Journal, October 30, 2023
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4 min read
People linger after a vigil for the victims of Wednesday's mass shootings, on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston, Maine.
People linger after a vigil for the victims of the Oct. 25 mass shootings in Lewiston, Maine. The vigil took place on Oct. 29, 2023, outside the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston.
Matt Rourke/AP
School Climate & Safety 'We Really Didn’t Know What to Do': How a District Regrouped After a Mass Shooting
The superintendent of a community rocked by a 2022 mass shooting discusses what the district did after the violence.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 30, 2023
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9 min read
Jess Paquette expresses her support for her city in the wake of Wednesday's mass shootings at a restaurant and bowling alley, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Police continue their manhunt for the suspect. Authorities urged residents to lock themselves in their homes and schools announced closures on Thursday. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Jess Paquette expresses her support for her city in the wake of Wednesday's mass shootings at a restaurant and bowling alley, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, in Lewiston, Maine. Police continue their manhunt for the suspect. Authorities urged residents to lock themselves in their homes and schools announced closures.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
School Climate & Safety Educators Grapple with Grief, Horror in Aftermath of Maine Mass Shooting
Maine educators worried about their safety and their students after a gunman killed 18 people.
Libby Stanford, October 26, 2023
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5 min read
Collage of three faces with lines connecting to dots over all three faces. There is a bright yellow four corners framing the woman's face in the center.
Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva
School Climate & Safety Does Facial Recognition Technology Make Schools Safer? What Educators Need to Know
New York has banned facial recognition technology in schools. Here’s what experts say schools need to consider before using it.
Arianna Prothero, October 13, 2023
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7 min read
Illustration of empty classroom with notice on board that warns of loaded firearms
iStock/Getty Images
School Climate & Safety Q&A 'I'm Not Even a Gun Person': A Superintendent's Decision to Arm Teachers
John Scheu has led two districts through the process of creating armed response teams of staff members who serve as a first line of defense.
Caitlynn Peetz, October 9, 2023
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7 min read
CCTV Security monitoring student in classroom at school.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety Surveillance Tech Is Supposed to Make Students Feel Safer. For Many, It Doesn't
Some students say surveillance tech feels like a violation of their privacy, the American Civil Liberties Union reported.
Alyson Klein, October 5, 2023
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3 min read
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., speaks to members of the media as crowds of people participate in the "March for Our Lives" rally in support of gun control on March 24, 2018, in San Francisco.
Josh Edelson/AP
Federal Dianne Feinstein's Fight to Stop Gun Violence in Schools Central to Her Legacy
The California Senator will be remembered for her strong support of gun restrictions to stop school shootings.
Alyson Klein, September 29, 2023
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5 min read
Educators with the Benjamin Logan Local School District receive training from the Logan County Sheriff's office to join the district's armed response team in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on June 26, 2023.
Educators with the Benjamin Logan Local School District receive training from the Logan County Sheriff's Office to join the district's Armed Response Team in Bellefontaine, Ohio, on June 26, 2023.
Eli Hiller for Education Week
School Climate & Safety Teachers With Guns: District by District, a Push to Arm Educators Is Growing
The number of districts with armed educators is rising. An inside look at one of them.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 27, 2023
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12 min read
Illustration of Police silhouettes and a subtle dollar sign to show SRO funding
Wildpixel/iStock
School & District Management After Teachers, America's Schools Spend More on Security Guards Than Any Other Role
New estimates from the Urban Institute indicate school resource officers cost more than $2 billion every year.
Mark Lieberman & Caitlynn Peetz, September 22, 2023
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4 min read
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
President Joe Biden speaks about gun safety on Sept. 22, 2023, from the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., applauds at left.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Federal Biden Credits School Shooting Survivors as He Creates Gun Violence Prevention Office
President Biden announced the first-ever White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, fulfilling a long-time goal of school shooting survivors.
Evie Blad, September 22, 2023
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5 min read
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