School Safety

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

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Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
School Climate & Safety Preparing For and Responding to School Threats: Resources for Administrators
Resources to help schools prepare for and respond to threats of violence.
Evie Blad, September 24, 2024
4 min read
Principals from the Principals Recovery Network address lawmakers on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Principals address Democratic members of Congress on the long-term effects of gun violence on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington, D.C.
Courtesy of Oversight Committee Democrats Press Office
Education Funding Gun Violence Takes a Toll. We Need More Support, Principals Tell Congress
At a congressional roundtable, school leaders made an emotional appeal for more funds to help schools recover from gun violence.
Olina Banerji, September 24, 2024
5 min read
Boardman high school principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill, on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio.
Principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio. A new survey from the RAND Corporation finds that most teachers don't feel safer from participating in lockdown drills.
Tony Dejak/AP
School Climate & Safety Lockdown Drills Don't Make Teachers Feel Safer
More teachers than not also say the ubiquitous simulations don't help them feel more prepared for an active shooter or other emergency.
Libby Stanford, September 23, 2024
6 min read
Illustration of sad/angry boy.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School Climate & Safety A Surge of Violent School Threats Creates a Communication Crisis for Districts
School threats requires districts to juggle nuanced messages for parents, students, and communities.
Evie Blad, September 20, 2024
6 min read
Alexis Osborn, left, and Mireida Alvarado share a laugh while reading a book together during kindergarten class at Fairview Elementary in Carthage, Mo.
Students share a laugh while reading a book together during kindergarten class at Fairview Elementary in Carthage, Mo. As former President Donald Trump continues to share anti-immigrant rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail, educators say it it's even more crucial to create a welcoming environment for all students.
Roger Nomer/The Joplin Globe via AP
English Learners Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Has Consequences. What Schools Can Do to Help
As falsehoods circulate about Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, schools can help immigrant students feel safe and welcome.
Ileana Najarro, September 20, 2024
6 min read
Broken piggy bank with adhesive bandage on the table
iStock/Getty
Education Funding Explainer How One Grant Can Help Schools Recover From Shootings
Schools can leverage a little-known emergency grant to recover from violence or a natural disaster. Here’s how.
Olina Banerji, September 19, 2024
9 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Community members set up a makeshift memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, after a two teachers and two students died in a shooting there. Schools around the country have responded to hundreds of threats since that Sept. 4 shooting.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety Schools Respond to Surge of Threats After Georgia School Shooting
Bomb threats, copycats, and pranks—some from outside the United States—have disrupted schools across the nation.
Evie Blad, September 17, 2024
5 min read
Young Girl Holding Phone with Backpack on School Staircase
E+
Student Well-Being Parents Want Cellphones in the Classroom. Here's Why
More than three-quarters of parents whose children have cellphones said they want their children to take them to school for emergencies.
Arianna Prothero, September 13, 2024
5 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
A memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., honors victims of the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in which two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety A Resource Guide to Help Schools Move Forward After a Shooting
Administrators have a responsibility no one wants in the wake of school violence. Here are some resources to help.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 12, 2024
4 min read
Anonymous silhouette of lone student casting an ominous shadow onto the entrance of a public school building.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + Getty Images
School Climate & Safety Opinion After the Georgia School Shooting, I'm No Longer Shocked. I'm Furious
A school leader asks who could have prevented the killings at Apalachee High.
Sarah Berman, September 11, 2024
5 min read
Ball State University students watch a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Muncie, Ind.
Ball State University students watch a presidential debate between Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump, left, and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Muncie, Ind.
Darron Cummings/AP
Federal Days After Georgia Shooting, No Mention of Safety or Schools in Trump-Harris Debate
The debate came less than a week after two students and two teachers were killed at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga.
Evie Blad, September 10, 2024
3 min read
Illustration of mass school shooting incidents news headlines collage behind orange cracked glass effect. Safety, Prevention,
E+/Getty + Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva
School Climate & Safety Opinion We Can’t Wait for Someone Else to Stop School Shootings
A clinical psychologist lays out what school leaders can do to keep our children safe from gun violence.
Erika Felix, September 10, 2024
4 min read
Erin Clark shared screenshots of a text message conversation she had with her son, Ethan, just before 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2024.
Erin Clark shared screenshots of a text message conversation she had with her son, Ethan, just before 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 4, 2024.
Erin Clark via WSB TV
School Climate & Safety The Georgia School Shooting May Accelerate the Backlash to Cellphone Bans
Emotional texts exchanged during the Apalachee High shooting have reopened the question of cellphones in schools.
Elizabeth Heubeck & Lauraine Langreo, September 5, 2024
6 min read