research questions on school security

Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World

Read our research on:

Full Topic List

Regions & Countries

Publications
Our Methods
Short Reads
Tools & Resources

Read Our Research On:

U.S. school security procedures have become more widespread in recent years but are still unevenly adopted

A superintendent monitors newly installed security cameras in October 2018 at Freeman High School, which experienced a school shooting the previous year, in Rockford, Washington.

Many public K-12 schools in the United States have taken steps in recent years to tighten security, including outfitting classroom doors with interior locks, drafting active shooter preparedness plans and hiring sworn law enforcement officers to patrol buildings, according to recently released data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Still, school security protocols vary widely by type of school, geography and other factors.

The new data comes amid heightened attention to school security after a deadly shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in May. In the wake of the Uvalde shooting, here is a look at some of the most common school security measures and how the K-12 security landscape has changed in recent years.

This analysis relies on data collected by the federal government to assess the security measures that public K-12 schools in the United States have employed in recent years, as well as how the adoption of these protocols varies by type of school, region and other factors. The analysis draws on nearly two decades of survey data from the School Survey on Crime and Safety by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The most recent data available for U.S. public schools is from the 2019-20 school year and includes responses from both traditional public schools and charter schools.

More information on the survey’s methodology can be found in the NCES report.

Building security

The vast majority of U.S. public K-12 schools (including traditional public schools and charter schools) reported taking steps to physically secure buildings and classrooms during the 2019-20 school year, the most recent year for which data is available. Almost all schools restricted entry by controlling access to buildings during school hours with measures such as locked or monitored doors and loading docks (97%), or by requiring visitors to sign or check in and wear a badge (98%). Around three-quarters (73%) had classrooms equipped with locks so that doors can be locked from inside.

A bar chart showing that visitor check-in, lockdown drills, and controlled access to buildings are among the most common U.S. school security measures

Restricting access to school buildings was pervasive across schools of all types. Nine-in-ten or more schools took this action, regardless of grade level, location, enrollment or student characteristics.

Classrooms are less likely to have locking doors in schools where greater shares of students come from households with lower incomes. One proxy measure of household income level is the share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Among schools where at least three-quarters of students qualify for this program, 69% had locking doors in their classrooms in the 2019-20 school year, compared with 78% at schools where a quarter or fewer students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

Charter schools were 11 percentage points more likely than traditional public schools to have doors that lock from the inside in the 2019-20 school year (83% vs. 72%).

Active shooter response

Procedures to respond to threats are also prevalent across public schools. In 2019-20, 96% of all public K-12 schools had a written plan describing procedures to be performed in an active shooter situation, and 98% had conducted a lockdown drill with students that year. Lockdown procedures involve securing school buildings and grounds during incidents that pose an immediate threat of violence in or around the school.

The share of schools with written plans for an active shooter situation has increased from 79% in 2003-04, the earliest data available. (The NCES survey that year described active shooter scenarios as “shootings”; the 2019-20 data specifically referred to “active shooter” situations with “one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.”)

Safety-related communications and technology

Many public schools used some form of security-related communication system or technology during the 2019-20 school year. The majority reported using security cameras to monitor the school (91%) or providing two-way radios to any staff (83%). Seven-in-ten schools provided an electronic notification system that automatically notifies parents in case of a school-wide emergency, and 66% provided a structured, anonymous threat-reporting system, such as an online submission form, telephone hotline or written submission form via drop box.

The share of schools with each of these communication systems and technologies has increased over the last decade. For example, the proportion of schools that have an anonymous threat-reporting system has nearly doubled since the 2009-10 school year, when 36% gave students this option. There has been a 30-point increase in the use of security cameras to monitor schools, up from 61% in 2009-10.

Though not as common as other measures, 40% of schools had “panic buttons” or silent alarms directly connected to law enforcement in 2019-20. That is an increase from 2015-16 (27%), the earliest data available.

There are some differences in adoption of these systems based on the school’s characteristics and the region of the country where it is located. In the 2019-20 school year, middle and high schools were more likely than elementary schools to have anonymous threat-reporting systems (77% of middle schools and 76% of high schools, vs. 59% of elementary schools) and security cameras (94% of middle schools and 97% of high schools, vs. 88% of elementary schools). Schools with greater shares of students who are racial and ethnic minorities were also more likely to use threat-reporting systems, and less likely to report using security cameras.

Panic buttons were more common in schools where relatively few students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. For example, roughly half of schools (53%) where 25% of students or fewer qualify for free or reduced-price lunch programs used this technology, compared with around a third of schools (35%) where three-quarters of students or more qualified for the program.

Regionally, about three-quarters of schools in the West (76%) reported using security cameras in 2019-20, compared with more than nine-in-ten in the Northeast (93%), Midwest (95%) and South (98%). And around a quarter of schools in the West (27%) had installed panic buttons, compared with 43% each in the Midwest and South and about half of schools in the Northeast (49%).

Schools with higher enrollment are more likely than smaller ones to have each of the communications and technology measures asked about.

Security staff

About two-thirds of public K-12 schools (65%) had one or more security staff person present at the school at least once a week in 2019-20, up from 43% a decade earlier. In about half of schools (51%) in the 2019-20 school year, the security staff included at least one sworn law enforcement officer who routinely carried a firearm. In the 2009-10 school year, 28% of public schools reported having any security staff member who routinely carried a firearm.

Security staff presence varies somewhat based on certain school characteristics. For instance, security staffers are more common at larger schools: 96% of schools with 1,000 or more students reported having one or more security staff person in 2019-20, compared with about half (48%) of schools with fewer than 300 students. More than eight-in-ten middle (82%) and high schools (84%) had security staff in the 2019-20 school year, compared with 55% of elementary schools.

There are similar patterns when it comes to whether the school’s security staff includes officers who carry firearms, but with a notable difference: Schools where more than three-quarters of the students are racial or ethnic minorities are the least likely to have an officer who carries a firearm (43% of these schools fall into that category, compared with 57% of schools where a quarter of students or fewer are minorities).

Threat assessment teams

During the 2019-20 school year, about two-thirds of schools (64%) reported having a threat assessment team in place. Threat assessment in this NCES survey was defined as “a formalized process of identifying, assessing and managing students who may pose a threat of targeted violence in schools.” A threat assessment team typically includes school staff such as administrators and school psychologists.

Again, certain types of schools were more likely to take this precaution. Schools in cities (67%) and suburbs (71%) more often had a threat assessment team than those in rural areas (56%). Threat assessment teams were also more common at the middle and high school level, at schools with higher enrollment numbers and at schools with a larger proportion of students who are racial or ethnic minorities.

Katherine Schaeffer is a research analyst at Pew Research Center .

72% of U.S. high school teachers say cellphone distraction is a major problem in the classroom

U.s. public, private and charter schools in 5 charts, a quarter of u.s. teachers say ai tools do more harm than good in k-12 education, most americans think u.s. k-12 stem education isn’t above average, but test results paint a mixed picture, about 1 in 4 u.s. teachers say their school went into a gun-related lockdown in the last school year, most popular.

901 E St. NW, Suite 300 Washington, DC 20004 USA (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries

Research Topics

Email Newsletters

ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts .

Publications

Stay up-to-date on the current trends and best practices in school safety through our systematic literature reviews, reports, and journal articles.

Administrator Perceptions of School Safety Capacity and Sustainability Report

A positive youth development approach to school safety, 2022 training needs assessment report, metropolitan district tests various school-based mental health services, synthesizing knowledge on equity and equity-based school safety strategies, national guidelines for child and youth behavioral health crisis care, preventing and responding to bias and hate incidents in k-12 educational settings: a toolkit for school communities and leaders, a comprehensive school safety framework: report to the committees on appropriations, school policing programs: where we have been and where we need to go next, the causes and consequences of school violence: a review, using an open-source database to understand school shootings, 2021 training needs assessment report, supporting child and student social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health needs, behavioral threat assessment and management (btam): best practice considerations for k–12 schools, fact sheet: improving access and care for youth mental health and substance use conditions, the landscape of federal k-12 school health efforts, 2010-2020, focusing on safety report.

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

School Safety: Research on Gathering Tips and Addressing Threats

A warning that someone is planning a school shooting can save lives if it is received and acted upon in a timely manner. Research has shown that individuals who plan to conduct a school attack typically share that information with someone else. These are often peers, such as friends or other students at school. [1] Schools that use planned, systematic techniques for gathering information on threats may be well-positioned to receive tips on planned attacks and respond appropriately.

This notion that a warning can save lives is arguably the central premise for developing school safety tip lines and likely one of the key drivers behind a surge in new tip lines within the past few years. By the end of the 2018-2019 school year, about half (51%) of public middle and high schools in the United States had a tip line. [2] Most schools (about 60%) reported having tip lines for three years or less. [3]

Tip lines — designed in many different ways — offer one mechanism for gathering information on a threat to student or school safety. Tip lines collect information via phone, text message, app, email, or a website; they may involve live interaction, or information may be retrieved following submission. They often, but not always, offer anonymity or confidentiality to the submitter. School administrators, law enforcement, or others may operate tip lines at the state or local level.

Schools may also obtain information through more traditional sources, such as student discussions with trusted teachers or social media monitoring. But what is the most effective way to gather information on threats?

From 2014 to 2017, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funded several studies through its Comprehensive School Safety Initiative [4] that address a wide range of questions about identifying and reporting threats, and school response strategies. Many studies are ongoing, but the research is starting to indicate that although tip lines may be useful violence prevention tools, not all of them are likely to be equally successful. Tip lines should be coupled with efforts to facilitate an informed and coordinated response to the tip. In addition, the research shows that approaches to collecting tips — through a tip line or other method — should be accompanied by investments in technology, training, and engagement, as well as reliance on expertise by a variety of individuals and a systematic approach to responding to tips.

Gathering Information

Colorado is generally credited with starting the first school safety tip line, Safe2Tell. Following the 1999 Columbine High School shooting, a review found that students and others had knowledge of the shooters’ intent, but that the school’s culture kept students from reporting their plans. [5] The Safe2Tell tip line — which guarantees anonymity to users — was created to help break this code of silence among students. There are also training and education components to Safe2Tell that may help increase knowledge of and trust in the tip line. [6]

This raises a critical point: It is not enough to build the technological infrastructure for a tip line. Planning and implementing tip lines should also include engagement with stakeholders, training, and awareness campaigns to ensure buy-in and use. [7] Previous research demonstrates that tip lines without an engagement component are underused. [8]

Lack of awareness is a key reason for underutilization, but there are other reasons as well. With or without a tip line, students may choose not to report a threat because they are concerned about what will be done with the information they provide (e.g., no response by the school, perception that the threat is not serious, or fear of retaliation against the reporting student) or because of a school culture that encourages a student code of silence. [9] In addition, certain features of a tip line — for example, accepting only phone calls — may limit usage. [10] Although research evidence is limited, making tip lines anonymous may help break the student code of silence and encourage students to use the tip line. [11] Ensuring that sufficient resources are available, including well-trained individuals who receive the information and respond to tips, is important as well. [12]

Tip lines can help identify school safety problems beyond the potential for serious physical violence. Preliminary evidence indicates that reports of bullying, self-harm, and suicide threats are among the most common types of tips received. [13] Even if schools do not intend to collect information on these concerns, they should be ready to respond to reports of these issues.

Early data also suggest that schools should be prepared to receive a large volume of tips. In its first 22 months of operation, a statewide school tip line in Oregon received 2,578 tips. Of these, 898 were related to bullying or harassment, 250 were tips on suicides others were planning, and 139 were tips related to threats of a planned school attack. [14] One Pennsylvania tip line received more than 23,000 tips in its first six months. [15]

In addition to tip lines, schools can encourage students to report school violence threats in other ways. As part of a larger NIJ-funded study on threat assessment by the University of Virginia, [16] researchers tested an online training program that aims to educate students about threat assessment and increase their willingness to report threats to school authorities. [17] The program emphasizes that students can report threats by talking to a school administrator. Results from this study indicate that the training program increased students’ knowledge of how to report threats of violence and their willingness to do so.

After a Tip Is Received

Receiving a tip is just the first step in preventing a violent act or other negative outcome. A tip line should be coupled with a systematic approach to processing the information received, responding appropriately, and documenting the response. Unfortunately, many tip lines do not have formal written guidance on how to process tips. A 2019 national survey of tip lines found that only 35% had a formal, written policy in place for how to respond to tips. [18]

This is a concern for a few key reasons. First, it leaves room for the possibility that there will be no response to the tip or that there will be multiple, conflicting, or uncoordinated responses from different individuals. It may also result in an inappropriate response (e.g., overreaction or underreaction). Further, tip lines are likely to receive information on various types of threats, tips may or may not represent imminent concerns, and tip lines can expect to receive some false tips. Having a formal strategy and guidance in place — along with a team of individuals from various backgrounds, including educators, law enforcement, and mental health professionals — may allow schools to appropriately respond to tips and assess threats. [19]

Using a systematic approach to assess a student’s threat to cause harm, such as behavioral threat assessment, can help determine the seriousness of the threat and inform an appropriate response. [20] In a school setting, behavioral threat assessment generally refers to a methodical approach to evaluating the likelihood that a student will carry out a violent act given an explicit threat or behavior indicative of a threat. There is evidence that at least one threat assessment approach, the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines, can resolve threats without violence and lead to other positive outcomes for the school and the student making the threat. [21] Research on the effectiveness of other approaches is ongoing.

A recently completed study at the University of Virginia [22] examined whether threat assessment could prevent school violence and reduce the use of school suspension. The NIJ-funded study demonstrated a number of positive findings. For example, school threat assessment teams were able to resolve threats with few violent incidents. In addition, students making threats were most often referred for mental health services, less than half were suspended, and few were expelled from school. Threat assessment outcomes did not vary for students by race or ethnicity. [23]

Although useful, threat assessment can also prove challenging. [24] Schools must substantiate information and be prepared to respond to a dynamic environment in which new information will likely change the response. In addition, behavioral threat assessment will not be sufficient for assessing all tips. School safety threats posed by nonstudents or other types of tips (e.g., interpersonal conflicts, alcohol abuse, or theft) will require different responses. As the number of tip lines increases, better information will be available about the types of tips schools may receive, which can help inform appropriate responses.

Additional NIJ Research on Tips and Threats

Given the nascency of approaches to gathering tips and responding to threats, there are many outstanding questions about their effectiveness. From 2014 to 2017, NIJ funded several studies via the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative to try to fill the gaps in our knowledge and provide information that schools and other stakeholders can use when developing or refining their own approaches. Many of these studies are ongoing.

For example, we are learning a great deal about the prevalence and characteristics of tip lines across the United States from the NIJ-funded study “Assessment of National and State Tip Line Technology as a Strategy for Identifying Threats to School Safety.” [25] We have shared a number of findings from this ongoing study (conducted by RTI) throughout this article.

Several studies are examining approaches to collecting tips. For instance, researchers at the University of Michigan are evaluating the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System (SS-ARS) in Miami, Florida. SS-ARS is a Sandy Hook Promise Foundation program that allows both youth and adults to submit anonymous safety concerns online or by phone; a crisis center then reviews and shares the tip so that schools or law enforcement agencies can respond to prevent a negative outcome. The NIJ-funded study is examining whether SS-ARS improves the recognition of antecedents to violent and risky behavior and decreases the conduct of such behavior. [26]

A statewide experiment in Nevada is focused on whether the dual approaches of SafeVoice — an anonymous tip line coupled with multidisciplinary response teams — help improve school climate, address problem behavior in students, and result in appropriate responses by school staff and law enforcement. In addition, the NIJ-supported experiment is exploring how tip line implementation influences outcomes. [27]

ADVOCATR is a cellphone app that students can use to share confidential information on issues that negatively affect their safety, as well as positive issues that make them feel safe. A study of this app is being conducted as part of a larger evaluation of the Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety (SOARS) program. SOARS involves trainings and interventions designed to increase students’ resilience to victimization. [28] This NIJ-funded study will help us understand the impact of a tip line in combination with other approaches to improving school safety.

NIJ has funded additional studies to help inform the development and use of other approaches to identify and respond to school violence threats. For example, Chicago Public Schools and researchers at the University of Chicago Crime Lab studied the use of social media monitoring to identify online behavior that suggests pending violence by students and then intervene quickly. [29] The results of the study, [30] as well as concerns arising from the implications of monitoring students’ posts on social media, [31] suggest that more research on social media monitoring to prevent school violence is worthy of future consideration.

In Colorado, NIJ-supported researchers are exploring the impact of the Safe Communities Safe Schools approach, which incorporates an information-gathering system (including, but not limited to, the Safe2Tell tip line), a multitiered system of support for students, and multidisciplinary school team and community partners. Early findings offer evidence of how schools can implement comprehensive school safety approaches; when the project concludes, information on the approach’s overall effectiveness will be available. [32] The results of this and other studies examining comprehensive approaches will be particularly valuable given available evidence that singular strategies to address school safety are insufficient for tackling the range of safety challenges facing schools.

Outstanding Questions

The field is starting to learn how to collect tips and how to respond to school violence threats. Research indicates that to be successful, these approaches require technological investments, training, trust building, and expertise by individuals across a variety of topics — as well as a systematic approach to assessing threats and responding to tips.

However, a number of critical questions remain. We need to improve our knowledge on the most effective — and, perhaps, least costly — approaches for learning about, assessing, and responding to threats. We must identify how to best incorporate these approaches with comprehensive strategies on school safety. In addition, we must learn how to implement strategies in a context where resources are strained and information is dynamic, limited, or shared across a variety of individuals or systems. Further, systems typically track incidents rather than students. This limits our knowledge on, for example, how helpful these strategies are for students who pose ongoing behavioral risks.

Finally, we do not have a strong understanding about which characteristics of the existing strategies for collecting tips and responding to threats are the most important in preventing undesirable outcomes, including school shootings and other violent acts. As school administrators and other stakeholders discuss what policies and practices to adopt so they can gather tips and respond to school safety threats, they should consider the research but also be prepared to make adjustments as knowledge grows and circumstances change.

About This Article

This article was published as part of NIJ Journal issue number 283. This article discusses the following awards:

“Student Threat Assessment as a Safe and Supportive Prevention Strategy,” award number 2014-CK-BX-0004
“Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System To Improve School Safety,” award number 2017-CK-BX-0002
“Research on the Effects of an Anonymous Tip Line and Multidisciplinary Response Teams in Schools Across the State of Nevada,” award number 2016-CK-BX-0007
“Project SOARS (Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety),” award number 2015-MU-MU-K003
“Chicago Public Schools’ Connect and Redirect to Respect (CRR) Program To Use Social Media Monitoring To Identify and Connect Youth to Behavioral Interventions,” award number 2014-CK-BX-0002
“Assessment of National and State Tip Line Technology as a Strategy for Identifying Threats to School Safety,” award number 2017-CK-BX-0004
“A Roadmap to Evidence-Based School Safety: Safe Communities Safe Schools,” award number 2015-CK-BX-K002

[note 1] Bryan Vossekuil et al., The Final Report and Findings of the Safe School Initiative: Implications for the Prevention of School Attacks in the United States , Washington, DC: U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Department of Education, 2004; and National Threat Assessment Center, Protecting America’s Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence , Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, 2019.

[note 2] Michael Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety: A National Portrait of Tip Line Use , Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2020.

[note 3] Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety .

[note 4] For more information about NIJ’s Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, please see https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/nijs-comprehensive-school-safety-initiative .

[note 5] Susan R.T. Payne and Delbert S. Elliott, “ Safe2Tell®: An Anonymous, 24/7 Reporting System for Preventing School Violence ,” New Directions for Youth Development 2011 no. 129 (2011): 103-111.

[note 6] Payne and Elliott, “ Safe2Tell® .”

[note 7] Michael Planty et al., School Tip Line Toolkit: A Blueprint for Implementation and Sustainability , Research Triangle Park, NC: RTI International, 2018.

[note 8] Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety .

[note 9] Payne and Elliott, “ Safe2Tell® ”; and Erin K. Nekvasil and Dewey G. Cornell, “ Student Reports of Peer Threats of Violence: Prevalence and Outcomes ,” Journal of School Violence 11 no. 4 (2012): 357-375.

[note 10] Heather L. Schwartz et al., The Role of Technology in Improving K-12 School Safety , Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2016.

[note 11] Payne and Elliott, “ Safe2Tell® .”

[note 12] Schwartz et al., The Role of Technology in Improving K-12 School Safety ; and Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety .

[note 13] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, Safe2Say Something: Annual Report 2018-2019 School Year , Harrisburg, PA: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, 2019; and Oregon Task Force on School Safety, 2019 Report to the Legislature , Salem, OR: Oregon Task Force on School Safety, 2019.

[note 14] Oregon Task Force on School Safety, 2019 Report to the Legislature .

[note 15] Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Office of Attorney General, Safe2Say Something .

[note 16] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Student Threat Assessment as a Safe and Supportive Prevention Strategy ,” at The Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia, award number 2014-CK-BX-0004.

[note 17] Shelby L. Stohlman and Dewey G. Cornell, “ An Online Educational Program To Increase Student Understanding of Threat Assessment ,” Journal of School Health 89 no. 11 (2019): 899-906.

[note 18] Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety .

[note 19] Planty et al., School Tip Line Toolkit .

[note 20] Dewey G. Cornell, “ Threat Assessment as a School Violence Prevention Strategy ,” Criminology & Public Policy 19 no. 1 (2020): 235-252.

[note 21] Cornell, “ Threat Assessment as a School Violence Prevention Strategy .”

[note 22] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Student Threat Assessment as a Safe and Supportive Prevention Strategy .”

[note 23] Dewey Cornell et al., “ Racial/Ethnic Parity in Disciplinary Consequences Using Student Threat Assessment ,” School Psychology Review 47 no. 2 (2018): 183-195.

[note 24] Sarah Goodrum et al., “ Learning From a Failure in Threat Assessment: 11 Questions and Not Enough Answers ,” Behavioral Sciences & the Law 37 no. 4 (2019): 353-371.

[note 25] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Student Threat Assessment as a Safe and Supportive Prevention Strategy ”; and Planty et al., Tip Lines for School Safety .

[note 26] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System To Improve School Safety ,” at the Regents of the University of Michigan, award number 2017-CK-BX-0002.

[note 27] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Research on the Effects of an Anonymous Tip Line and Multidisciplinary Response Teams in Schools Across the State of Nevada ,” at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, award number 2016-CK-BX-0007.

[note 28] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Project SOARS (Student Ownership, Accountability, and Responsibility for School Safety) ,” at IRIS Media, Inc., dba IRIS Educational Media, award number 2015-MU-MU-K003.

[note 29] National Institute of Justice funding award description, “ Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System To Improve School Safety .”

[note 30] The University of Chicago Crime Lab, Connect & Redirect to Respect: Final Report , Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Crime Lab, 2019.

[note 31] Alice Haston, “ Keeping It Off the Record: Student Social Media Monitoring and the Need for Updated Student Records Laws ,” Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law 22 no. 1 (2020): 155-180.

[note 32] Beverly Kingston et al., “ Building Schools’ Readiness To Implement a Comprehensive Approach to School Safety ,” Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review 21 (2018): 433-449.

About the author

Mary Poulin Carlton is a social science analyst in NIJ’s Office of Research, Evaluation, and Technology.

Cite this Article

Related Awards

Student Threat Assessment as a Safe and Supportive Prevention Strategy
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System to Improve School Safety
Research on the Effects of an Anonymous Tip Line and Multidisciplinary Response Teams in Schools across the State of Nevada
Chicago Public Schools's Connect and Redirect to Respect (CRR) Program to use social media monitoring to identify and connect youth to behavioral interventions.
Assessment of National and State Tip Line Technology as a Strategy for Identifying Threats to School Safety
A Roadmap to Evidence-Based School Safety: Safe Communities Safe Schools

EdTrust in Texas advocates for an equitable education for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds across the state. We believe in centering the voices of Texas students and families as we work alongside them for the better future they deserve.

Our mission is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that disproportionately impact students who are the most underserved, with a particular focus on Black and Latino/a students and students from low-income backgrounds.

EdTrust–New York is a statewide education policy and advocacy organization focused first and foremost on doing right by New York’s children. Although many organizations speak up for the adults employed by schools and colleges, we advocate for students, especially those whose needs and potential are often overlooked.

EdTrust-Tennessee advocates for equitable education for historically-underserved students across the state. We believe in centering the voices of Tennessee students and families as we work alongside them for the future they deserve.

EdTrust–West is committed to dismantling the racial and economic barriers embedded in the California education system. Through our research and advocacy, EdTrust-West engages diverse communities dedicated to education equity and justice and increases political and public will to build an education system where students of color and multilingual learners, especially those experiencing poverty, will thrive.

The Education Trust in Louisiana works to promote educational equity for historically underserved students in the Louisiana’s schools. We work alongside students, families, and communities to build urgency and collective will for educational equity and justice.

EdTrust in Texas advocates for an equitable education for historically-underserved students across the state. We believe in centering the voices of Texas students and families as we work alongside them for the better future they deserve.

EdTrust in Washington advocates for an equitable education for historically-underserved students across the state. We believe in centering the voices of Washington students and families as we work alongside them for the better future they deserve.

Massachusetts

The Education Trust team in Massachusetts convenes and supports the Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership (MEEP), a collective effort of more than 20 social justice, civil rights and education organizations from across the Commonwealth working together to promote educational equity for historically underserved students in our state’s schools.

Home – Research, Tools & Insights – Report

Creating Safer Schools: A Case Study

School safety and student well-being are crucial to the social, emotional, and academic development of young people. Simply put, students learn better when they feel safe. Many districts have turned to school security measures that offer visible signs or outward appearances of safety; however, other approaches — those that create positive and inclusive school climates — both support students’ well-being and more effectively result in safe learning environments.

This mixed-methods case study examines two urban school districts in the United States. After public calls to end policing in schools, leaders in these districts reformed both policy and practice to support student safety. This study sought to answer the following research questions through interviews, surveys, and in-person observations:

How do district and school leaders make decisions about issues related to school safety practices (for example, School Resource Officer (SRO) programs)?
What programs, policies, and/or practices are used to support student well-being and school safety in addition to or in place of SRO programs?
How do students and school staff understand and experience school safety and well-being?
How are students and school staff experiencing changes in school safety practices?
What do students and school staff perceive as the policies and/or practices most needed to improve school safety and student well-being?

Bringing these components together isn’t about being the expert in all six, but rather partnering with the experts. “I’m not an expert,” Gay admits, “I just know a lot of them. And I’m lucky to work with experts across all disciplines.”

That’s where partnerships with organizations like PASS come in. “PASS is our go-to for anything related to physical safety and security,” says Gay. “We know we have the experts that can help answer those questions and provide resources to our schools.”

School Safety and Security: It Takes a Village

Despite the recurring nightmare that happens with every new shooting, Gay says there have been more averted incidents than ever before. These success stories often involve a Student Resource Officer in the right place at the right time; or a teacher hugging a student ; or a relationship between a child and a school counselor, or a well-trained safety team that knew when to intervene. All of these relationships make up the wider culture of a school, and demonstrate how school safety and security really is a concerted effort amongst all members of the community.

The frustrating part, Gay says, is that these “near misses” aren’t as widely publicized as the tragedies. Many communities who experience an active shooter scare don’t often broadcast it because they’re trying to avoid panic within the community, or they’re worried about the notoriety or negative press that comes with a violent incident.

Gay would like to see that change. “Our communities need to know what works because if they don’t, they’re not going to advocate for those things.” It’s good news when people are trained and well equipped, and as a result, an attack is prevented and a child’s life is saved.

5 Questions You Should Ask About School Safety and Security

These success stories come from communities that are prepared and working together: students, parents, teachers, Student Resource Officers, custodians, lunch ladies, counselors— everyone has to be involved. Here are five questions everyone should ask about school safety and security:

1. Does Your School Have a Current School Safety Policy?

Your school’s safety and security policy should involve an emergency operations plan (EOP) and security plan. Comprehensive plans—and the policies and procedures to implement them—form the foundation of school safety and security. Without proper policies and procedures in place, it is impossible to successfully use security technology and other security measures, regardless of how advanced they may be. Effective policies and procedures alone can mitigate risks, and there are often no costs associated with implementing them.

The PASS Guidelines include essential security-specific policies and processes, broken down by the five layers of school safety and security (district-wide, property, parking lot, building, and classroom/interior; see Guidelines for details).

2. What Drills Are in Place to Help Students and Staff Respond to Emergencies?

As the widespread success of fire drills has demonstrated, drills are critical to the success of your school’s emergency response both for students and teachers. The need for “lockdown” drills has grown due to the unique circumstances of an active shooter event. Whether in a school, business, or other public space, best practices now dictate having a lockdown protocol as the major component of an effective safety plan when escape is not possible. Schools should keep the age of their students in mind when designing exercises and training. The PASS Guidelines include recommendations for how to conduct lockdown drills, as well as tips on how to design a drill that works best for your school.

3. Does Your School Have a Team Assigned Specifically to Student Safety?

Your school should have a safety and security team that comprises, at minimum, the following key stakeholders to the K-12 environment:

security director;
school administrator;
security/systems integrator (or consultant);
IT director;
local police and fire officials; and
a school-based health care professional.

For larger or more complex projects, it’s best to have a hardware consultant on board as well.

4. Have School Administrators and Security Personnel Been Trained on Crisis Management?

Teachers and staff are essential to a successful emergency response. Staff should act on their own in an emergency when direction is not available, and—at a minimum—be trained on:

What to do in an emergency;
How to make independent decisions and act on them immediately;
What strategies and options they can use under various circumstances;
Who is responsible for what, and their individual roles; and
How to communicate with police, first responders, and others responding to the emergency.

5. Do Students Know How to Report Suspicious Incidents?

Ideally, a counselor or mental health professional has spoken with students about identifying red flags and what to do about it. Schools should also seriously consider anonymous reporting systems, which have deterred school violence in the past. The PASS Guidelines provide guidance on how to best implement anonymous tip reporting processes.

Ready to get the Guidelines?

The most comprehensive information available on best practices specifically for securing school facilities, vetted extensively by experts across the education, public safety and industry sectors.

Download the Guidelines »

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Free Cyber Services #protect2024 Secure Our World Shields Up Report A Cyber Issue

K-12 School Security Guide (3rd Edition) and School Security Assessment Tool

The K-12 School Security Guide (3rd ed., 2022) provides a comprehensive doctrine and systems-based methodology to support schools in conducting vulnerability assessments and planning to implement layered physical security elements across K–12 districts and campuses. The primary focus of the guide is on protection and mitigation measures and strategies schools should consider in their broader school safety enterprise. The guide is designed and organized for local education agencies to employ in conjunction with the K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT) , a web-based tool that provides further guidance on school physical security planning and implementation. Together, these resources outline action-oriented security practices and options for consideration across the K-12 school community.

To help users understand the sections of the K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT), CISA has developed a short “how-to” video which provides voice-over instructions walking users through each section of the tool and depicts screenshots during each step of the process. Users with additional questions beyond this video should refer to the K-12 School Security Assessment Tool User Guide or Technical Appendix (below).

Resource Materials

Resource Name	File Type	File Size	Language
	PDF, 3.20 MB	3.20 MB
	PDF, 2.04 MB	2.04 MB
	PDF, 1.90 MB	1.90 MB

Related Resources

Resources for Onboarding and Employment Screening Fact Sheet

K-12 school security guide companion for school-based law enforcement and school resource officers.

Insider Threat Reporting Templates

2024 u.s. federal elections: the insider threat.

Best Practices for School Security and Emergency Preparedness Planning

School shootings raise concern and dialogue on school safety in school communities across the nation. Parents often press school boards and superintendents for information and improvements in their school safety plans, security procedures and emergency guidelines. School leaders must be prepared to proactively communicate about school safety and to do a “check-up” on their strategies to make sure what they’re doing is consistent with recognized best practices.

BEST PRACTICES FOR SCHOOL SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLANNING

Five key strategy areas:

Training school administrators, teachers, and support staff (school resource officers and security officers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, etc.) on school violence prevention, school security, school threat assessment, and school emergency planning best practices
Evaluating and refining school security measures
Updating and exercising school emergency preparedness plans
Strengthening partnerships with public safety officials
Creating enhanced crisis communications plans and social media strategies

Expanded points for five key strategy areas:

Training school administrators, teachers, and support staff (school resource officers and security officers, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, etc.) on school threat assessment, school violence prevention, school crime prevention practices, school security procedures and awareness, and school emergency planning best practices. The first and best line of defense is a well trained, highly alert school staff and student body.
Evaluating and refining school security measures. Security is often equated with equipment such as metal detectors, surveillance cameras, police and security officers, and other physical, tangible measures. While these measures are necessary and play an important role in many school systems, particularly large urban districts with a history of weapons-related incidents and concerns, equipment is only as good as the human element behind it. Parents, the media, and others often call for metal detectors after a high-profile violence incident in schools. We have to remember that prisons have metal detectors, prisoner and visitor searches, and the most restrictive, punitive environments. Prisons still experience incidents of drugs, sexual assaults, weapons, gangs, and even murders. When security equipment is used in schools, it must be viewed as a supplement to, but not a substitute for, a more comprehensive school safety program.A brief sample of basic school security measures include cost-free and lower cost measures such as, but not limited to, reducing the number of open doors, having functional communications systems, keeping trees and shrubs trimmed to promote natural visibility, and establishing procedures for accurately and timely reporting of school crimes. Security measures can be built into the design of new and remodeled schools.
Most schools created emergency/crisis plans after the Columbine attack in April of 1999. Evaluations of school emergency plans nationwide consistently show that while schools have emergency plans and crisis teams named on paper, many plans are sitting on shelve collecting dust. Gaps in emergency plans include questionable content in the plans, a lack of training of school staff on emergency plans, and a lack of exercising plans in cooperation with public safety partners. A written plan sitting on a shelf is only as good as the paper it is written upo
School emergency plans should address preparedness procedures such as lockdowns, evacuations, parent-student reunification procedures, mobilizing school transportation during the school day, emergency communications protocols with parents and the media, and mobilizing mental health services.
School officials should meet regularly with their public safety partners: Police, fire, emergency medical services, and emergency management agencies to discuss safety, security, and emergency planning strategies.
School crisis teams must be trained.
Schools should have district-level and building level plans.
School emergency plans should be reviewed (in cooperation with public safety partners) and updated at least annually.
Schools must work with public safety officials to identify potential staging areas for media, parents, medical personnel, and others who will respond in an emergency.
School emergency plans must be exercised in order to reach their maximum potential usefulness. While full scale simulation drills are valuable in teaching important lessons, they are very time and labor intensive in their planning. Schools are strongly encouraged, however, to hold tabletop exercises with their district and building crisis teams, public safety and community agency partners, and other key stakeholders. Tabletops, which can be done in a half-day or day of professional development training time, allow schools to work through hypothetical scenarios to see if the plans they have on paper would work in a real emergency.
Schools should practice lockdown drills over the course of a school year as they do fire drills, tornado drills, and other drills. Any drills should be practiced in a realistic manner, such as during lunch hours, not simply when it is convenient and least disruptive to the school day. Schools must practice in the times and manner they would experience in a real emergency.
Form school threat assessment teams. Create a threat assessment protocol. Train staff on threat assessment.

4. Strengthening partnerships with public safety officials:

School administrators and crisis team members should meet regularly, at least twice a year, with public safety partners (police, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management agencies, Red Cross, etc.)
Public safety partners should be involved in the development and updating of school emergency plans and tabletop exercises.
Schools should number each entrance/exit door so first responders can easily identify specific entrances/exists when called to respond to an incident and/or to manage a tactical response.
Schools should provide police and fire departments with updated floor plans and blueprints for their reference for tactical responses.
Police are strongly encouraged to train and practice the rapid response to active shooter techniques. Schools should make their schools and school buses available after-hours and/or on weekends so SWAT teams can practice responding to scenarios in these settings.
Work with first responders to create, implement and train on school threat assessment protocols.

5. Creating enhanced crisis communications plans and social media strategies:

a. Conduct an assessment of existing crisis communications plans. If you have no formal crisis communications plan, create one.

b. Evaluate social media strategy. Many students can show you the mechanics of how to post on Twitter or Facebook. But does your district actually have a strategy for social media?

For additional information, contact Ken Trump .

Subscribe to our newsletter...

...and have blog posts delivered straight to your inbox:

Ken Trump’s Blog

School safety leaders: Focus on your core school security mission and functions (Lessons from recent Secret Service catastrophic security failures)
Growing legal school safety mandates and proposed consultant/vendor-driven school security “standards” may mean well, but many create unrealistic mandates that are impossible for schools to comply with
Retired? Briefly Hired? Fired? Strategic school safety leaders need to look deeper at job titles used by security vendors
Superintendents can learn a critical school safety lesson from the now-former Secret Service director: You can handle an investigation properly, but you may lose your job if you bungle the communications
From the White House to the schoolhouse, there is no perfect security – but by focusing on human factors, we can reduce risks

Protect the entire campus: Security incidents outside of the classroom

Image via Unsplash

A new report on K-12 school safety reveals that more than 50% of school safety incidents occur outside the classroom. Districts must prioritize full campus protection — from hallways to parking lots or even sports fields — to ensure that they’re prepared to respond quickly in an emergency, no matter where on campus an incident happens. By taking proactive measures, districts can be better prepared to address safety campus-wide.

Technology, training and effective emergency communication are all essential elements of safety plans aimed at ensuring full campus safety. During the 2021 to 2022 school year, about 857,500 violent incidents and 479,500 nonviolent incidents were reported by public schools. Notably, 99% of all alerts are for everyday emergencies, such as medical and behavioral incidents. When developing school safety plans, policies, and systems, the following steps can help districts to better protect their full campuses.

The following steps can guide districts in enhancing their campus-wide safety protocols.

Start with access control: Know who is on campus and why

Access control should be at the core of any preparedness program. Understanding who is on campus and why they’re there is crucial for protecting areas outside the classroom. For example, technologies such as license-plate recognition in parking lots can inform districts about who is on campus. Visitor management systems and issuing badges for all visitors who enter buildings are also essential parts of access control.

Collaborate with law enforcement and responders by integrating technology systems

Today, there is a growing trend across the country of police departments using real-time crime centers . Essentially, police departments create portals where critical information is brought on to one screen to monitor and respond in real time. Now, schools are integrating their camera systems into these real-time crime centers as well. This integration provides local law enforcement with real-time visibility during emergencies, so that they can see what problems are occuring, where they are happening, and can make informed decisions about where to dedicate their resources and deploy tactical units.

Use full campus mapping to equip responders with precise location information

Understanding where an incident is occurring from a precise location standpoint is important because it helps responders deploy resources quickly and efficiently — which is critical when every second matters. Floor plans and full campus mapping are paramount. Mapping can also show precisely and immediately where safety assets are located — such as fire alarms, first aid kits, extinguishers and evacuation points — which are critical details for responders to make the most of every second.

Consider evening and weekend events that draw larger crowds

Many schools have stadiums and events that draw thousands of people, so ensuring there is a plan in place and that safety procedures are followed during these events is crucial. A system that can manage, control and cover large outdoor areas and facilities is necessary. For example, parking lots can be areas where emergencies occur. If a school has badge-based mobile panic buttons implemented, it can help mitigate these situations quickly and efficiently by dispatching help to the correct location.

Put policies in place for full campus coverage: Clearly define expectations

Districts must develop robust safety policies that clearly define response expectations and procedures. How do they want to respond? What does their response look like? What are the expectations of their community and their staff? Once these questions are answered, then a policy can be established and training can begin. In safety preparedness, training has to be continual in order for it to be effective. Role-playing is paramount — people need to be put in a somewhat plausible situation so that they can train in real time. Manuals can’t be pulled off the shelf when an emergency happens to guide what to do next. The more people train, the more they commit the next step to muscle memory. Training has to be continual and realistic.

Understand how emergency communication happens: Don’t rely on cell phones alone

The best communication tools for emergencies are simple and easy to use without requiring people to think about taking multiple steps. When communicating in an emergency, the most essential thing to do is to communicate that there is an emergency to respond to. Simplifying communication technology allows users to solve this issue. There is a big misconception that an app-based panic button solution is sufficient. When an emergency happens, you may not have adequate cellular or Wi-Fi coverage. A user may also have to find the app and then login, which can take time when seconds matter. A simple process where you can press a button on a badge makes it easier to respond.

Train every staff member and equip more people to respond in an emergency

Safety responsibilities should not just be left to security personnel. While many districts are increasing the number of security personnel on campus, these individuals can’t be everywhere. Everyone on campus — students, educators, janitorial staff — needs to be trained. These people have eyes on what’s going on in the school at all times. When thinking about eyes and ears and the ability to respond rapidly and immediately, ensuring that everyone is trained and equipped with safety technology, like a mobile panic button badge, is imperative.

To better protect K-12 students and staff, school safety planning committees have to consider the incidents that occur outside of the traditional classroom, in places like sports fields and in parking lots. By implementing advanced technology, putting strong policies in place, and training all staff and students to be a part of campus safety, districts can improve safety campus-wide.

Share This Story

Restricted Content

You must have JavaScript enabled to enjoy a limited number of articles over the next 30 days.

Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

How US security teams can learn from the events of the Manchester Arena terror attack and the subsequent Protect Duty

Why now is a crucial time to protect the mental health of security workers

The balancing act of campus perimeter security

Mastering the fundamentals: mitigation, prevention, and response to violence, sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry., join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content..

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

UTSA among 11 universities tackling research security threats in new NSF-backed SECURE Center

AUGUST 12, 2024 — UTSA will partner with Texas A&M University to co-lead SECURE Southwest, one of five new regional centers being launched to strengthen U.S. research security.

Under a five-year, $67 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center aims to strengthen intellectual property and research security by educating members of the research community about security issues and engaging them in a process of collaborative problem-solving.

“NSF calls upon us to conduct 'principled, international collaboration.' SECURE is how we realize that vision.”

The project leads hope that the center will shed light on a component of research that has historically been murky and hard to navigate.

"Currently, information is siloed, inconsistent, and changing all the time,” said Lori Schultz , UTSA senior associate vice president for research administration. “The research community needs access to real-time information, resources to ask questions and a place to connect with other institutions doing similar work. NSF calls upon us to conduct 'principled, international collaboration.' SECURE is how we realize that vision."

The center was mandated by the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to address growing concerns about international entities accessing U.S. research unethically or unlawfully. This has become a heightened risk as researchers become increasingly collaborative with colleagues around the world. The NSF described the center as a “clearinghouse for information to empower the research community to identify and mitigate foreign interference that poses risks to the U.S. research enterprise.”

Schultz added, “Protecting the work of researchers in the United States is paramount if the nation is going to maintain its global competitiveness. The SECURE Center will play a critical role in ensuring that ideas and intellectual property are protected as American researchers work with collaborators around the world.”

Schultz will serve as co-lead for the southwest region, leading efforts to elicit and incorporate feedback from universities and research organizations across the Southwest. The center will use the feedback to continually design an environment that is responsive to users and reflective of their needs.

Schultz will work alongside co-lead Kevin Gamache , associate vice chancellor and chief research security officer at Texas A&M University. "I am excited to partner with Lori Schultz and UTSA to lead the SECURE Southwest Regional Center,” said Gamache. “The SECURE Center will positively impact our ability to protect this nation’s research enterprise by creating a community that will make security an integral part of the research process.”

The national SECURE Center will be led by the University of Washington, with ten additional higher education institutions across the country engaged in the first phase.

The five regional centers are:

SECURE West led by the University of Washington
SECURE Northeast led by Northeastern University
SECURE Southeast led by Emory University
SECURE Midwest led by the University of Missouri
SECURE Southwest co-led by UTSA and Texas A&M

In addition to the institutions leading regional centers, Mississippi State University, the University of Michigan and Stanford University’s Hoover Institution will provide expertise on sensitive research, threat types, geopolitical analysis and international collaboration. The College of Charleston and Mississippi State University, located in the NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions, will ensure that emerging research and minority-serving institutions are included in SECURE Center activities.

While UTSA and Texas A&M University will jointly lead the southwest region, the principal investigator on the project is Mark Haselkorn , a professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE). Haselkorn directs the Center on Collaborative Systems for Security, Safety, and Resilience (CoSSaR) , a research center with experience facilitating creative collaboration and solution design for complex issues and systems.

SECURE co-design experts will guide a collaborative and iterative design process through which researchers and research administrators provide feedback about evolving solutions as they are being developed. This feedback, in turn, will inform further improvements and iterations.

"This award is a radical departure from previous top-down approaches,” said Haselkorn. “NSF is empowering the research community to work together to identify and address its own security issues. This is the best way to achieve adoption and use of those solutions.”

While a goal of the project is to mitigate the threat of IP theft, particularly from foreign entities, the project leaders hope to cultivate an international research community in which global collaboration can still thrive.

UTSA has long been recognized as a pioneer in cybersecurity education and research. This new collaboration complements a growing body of security research and scholarship at UTSA. The university is home to multiple centers and institutes devoted to security, including the National Security Collaboration Center , the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute , the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security , the Institute for Cyber Security, the Cyber Center for Security and Analytics , as well as the NSF CREST Center for Security and Privacy Enhanced Cloud Computing.

UTSA is one of the few universities in the nation — and the only Hispanic Serving Institution — to hold three National Center of Excellence designations from the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in Cyber Defense Education, Cyber Research and Cyber Operations.

— Audrey Gray

UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing , the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to [email protected] . Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today . Connect with UTSA online at Facebook , Twitter , Youtube and Instagram .

Move-In Market

The Roadrunner Pantry/Whataburger Resource Room has joined efforts with the campus community for the Move-In Market! Come shop for some great items for your room or apartment to get you started and set up for success. The best part about it--everything is free! Bring your UTSA student ID to receive shopping credits.

Family Association Welcome and Social

UTSA parents and family members are invited for appetizers and drinks to meet other Roadrunner families following Move-In Week. Students are encouraged to attend Comedy Night and Late Night at the Rec, while family members celebrate their student’s next chapter.

Late Night at the Rec

Late Night at the Rec features an evening of fun, games, giveaways, and excitement. It's also a great way to learn about the facilities, recreation programs, and wellness services offered at the Main and Downtown campuses.

Midnight Light

Come show your Roadrunner Spirit by joining our very own Rowdy, The Spirit of San Antonio Marching Band (SOSA), your fellow students, as we light the Monument at our Main Campus entrance at the stroke of midnight to mark the start of a new academic year.

First Day of School

Annual Giving will host a First Day of School celebration to welcome students back to campus. We will have giveaways and photo opportunities.

Welcome Back Cookies and Lemonade with the University College

A sweet start to the Semester. Join the University College to customize your own sugar cookie while enjoying connecting with other UTSA students.

Introduction to UTS Bold Careers

Join us for a tabling event with the UTS Bold Careers Program! Start the academic year off right with our team to discuss experiential learning and career development.

Submit an Event

University of Texas at San Antonio receives ‘transformational’ $40M gift

Utsa’s mission.

The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA will be a model for student success
UTSA will be a great public research university
UTSA will be an innovative place to work, learn and discover

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.

Master of Information and Cybersecurity

Master’s in cybersecurity online from uc berkeley.

The Master of Information and Cybersecurity (MICS) online program prepares students with the cybersecurity skills needed to assume leadership positions and drive innovation in the field.

Through a holistic approach to cybersecurity, students develop a thorough understanding of information security technologies as well as the economic, legal, behavioral, and ethical impacts of cybersecurity. Students graduate as competitive candidates in the job market with connections to UC Berkeley alumni and professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Request more info

A Leadership-Focused Curriculum

The interdisciplinary MICS curriculum provides students with hands-on practical experience with secure systems and applications, and the ability to lead, manage, and contribute to building cybersecurity solutions.

Students master core technical skills and become fluent in the business, political, and legal context of cybersecurity. They can expect to graduate with a comprehensive understanding of the following:

Secure coding
Government and national security
Network and web security
Usable privacy and security
Cryptography
Operating system security
Security in context: legal, behavioral, and ethical issues
Privacy engineering

The online MICS program is 9 courses (27 units) and can be completed in 20 months. Students complete foundation courses, electives, and a capstone project. They also attend one in-person immersion in the San Francisco Bay Area. The curriculum includes the following courses:

Beyond the Code: Cybersecurity in Context
Network Security
Software Security

Cryptography for Cyber and Network Security

Operating system security.

Managing Cyber Risk
Government, National Security, and the Fifth Domain
Usable Privacy and Security

Privacy Engineering

Learn more about about upcoming webinars, deadlines, and more, why a master’s in cybersecurity from uc berkeley.

Cybersecurity permeates almost all aspects of the human experience. Individuals, organizations, and societies are protected from cyber threats constantly without even realizing they occur. This is thanks to professionals who understand the complex relationship between human behaviors and advanced technology in securing information.

UC Berkeley is where the brightest minds from across the globe come together to explore, ask questions, and improve the world. Our MICS program does more than create experts in information security: it shapes leaders who understand the implications of cybersecurity across all industries and want to drive the future of innovation in cybersecurity.

Developed by faculty from the School of Information and the College of Engineering, the interdisciplinary MICS curriculum focuses on the intersection of technical, social, political, economic, legal, national security, and ethical components of cybersecurity. Students graduate with versatile knowledge needed to lead cybersecurity in private, public, or philanthropic sectors and with connections to the nearby technology hub Silicon Valley.

What Can You Do with a Master’s in Cybersecurity?

Cybersecurity’s growth is turning it into a massive market with an increased demand for skilled cybersecurity labor. Due to constant evolution and escalation of threats, cybersecurity has become one of the most important and exciting career fields of the 21st century.

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects employment of information security analysts to grow 35% from 2021 to 2031, equating to an average of 19,500 new positions each year.¹

The cybersecurity industry is met with the challenge of not only filling the growing demand and talent shortage but with finding highly skilled professionals who can be trusted to effectively protect information systems. This creates an opportunity for graduates of the MICS program to enter the in-demand market as competitive cybersecurity experts.

Career Opportunities in Cybersecurity

No organization that operates online can ignore cybersecurity. With cyber threats growing and constantly changing, businesses, governments, and nonprofit organizations are making significant investments in cyber defense and hiring increasingly large numbers of cybersecurity professionals.

MICS graduates are poised to enter this market in leadership roles with the requisite multifunctional skill sets and a strong network provided by the program.

Cybersecurity Salaries

Salaries for cybersecurity professionals range from $85,000 to $151,547 per year.¹

Featured Courses

Students learn about the mathematical and practical foundations of cryptography and the many different cryptosystems.

Students compare approaches to security taken among several modern operating systems and learn techniques for establishing trust across a set of interoperating systems.

Students survey privacy mechanisms applicable to systems engineering, with a particular focus on the inference threat arising due to advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Admissions Requirements for the Master’s in Cybersecurity Online Degree

When evaluating applicants, we consider both qualitative and quantitative factors to determine if they can meet the demands of the rigorous MICS program. These include:

Academic coursework and performance
Professional experience
Communication skills
Statement of purpose
Letters of recommendation

¹ Cybersecurity Career Pathway, CyberSeek , 2023

Voter Guide

AG Drummond to Ryan Walters: Release security money to school districts immediately

In what he called an "expedited" opinion issued Sunday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the Oklahoma State Department of Education must immediately send school districts security funds that have been withheld by the agency because of a legal disagreement with the state Legislature.

State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who leads the education agency, requested the opinion Aug. 12 after news reports surfaced that the OSDE was refusing to let school districts keep unused dollars from the School Security Revolving Fund. The Legislature created the fund, which is part of the School Resource Officer Program , after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022. Under the initiative, the education agency was directed to distribute $50 million annually to school districts over a three-year period.

Drummond’s formal opinion carries the force of law, absent a court ruling. It supports the contention of legislative leaders that districts can carry over the funds from one year to the next. As of July 1, the revolving fund has a balance of $128 million, Drummond said.

An attorney for the agency, in a memo, had said the bill that approved the revolving fund for the money did not provide for the money to be rolled over year-to-year. Walters’ request for Drummond’s opinion came 14 months after the bill became law.

In a letter to Walters that accompanied the letter, Drummond had harsh words for his fellow Republican: “Those wasted months have resulted in school districts not receiving millions of dollars in funds they could have used to bolster security and protect students,” Drummond wrote. “I pray that your failure to deploy these funds does not result in deadly consequences.

“The opinion I have issued is legally binding and requires you to act immediately to deliver these funds. I will not tolerate further delay.”

Walters pushed back against the premise that his actions could have negatively affected student safety.

"Nothing is more important than the safety of our students and at NO time have our schools gone without security funding in any way," Walters said. "Due to ambiguity in the statute passed by the Legislature, there was a question of whether some districts that did spend certain security funds in the previous fiscal year could legally roll over that money to this year. The legislature considered, but did not pass, an amendment that would have removed any doubt about the rollover issue. To get clarity on these legal issues, I requested this opinion from the Attorney General and our agency may now move forward."

Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat, R-Oklahoma City, praised Drummond for the speed in which the attorney general issued his opinion.

"I appreciate Attorney General Drummond for issuing a concise and expedited opinion on this matter,” Treat said. “The legislative intent was clear and shouldn’t have needed an attorney general’s opinion. Regardless, the circumstances we are facing made it necessary. While I will let the attorney general’s opinion speak for itself, I am going to remain focused on ensuring the money to protect children is distributed to school districts as intended and immediately. Lawmakers spoke loud and clear when we passed this legislation. It is now my hope there are no further delays complying with the law.”

As first reported by Oklahoma City television station KFOR, the state Department of Education tried to take away the security funds, even though the agency’s website originally said districts would be able to keep the money. In his opinion, Drummond said the agency “arbitrarily and without notice, reversed course and zeroed out the district balances.”

House Bill 2904 passed in 2023 with overwhelming support in the Legislature. The measure created the revolving fund, in which every school district in the state would receive approximately $96,000 per year for three years to make the improvements. Some districts had planned to save money from their first-year funds to pay for items that might cost more than $96,000, but then learned the state agency was not letting them roll over that unused money from the first year of the program.

Drummond’s opinion gave three reasons the carryover of funds is allowed. First, the law placed no fiscal-year restrictions on use of the funds. Second, relevant statutes only use “expend” or “expenditure” when addressing the state Department of Education, meaning that the state agency is the only entity to have restrictions. Third, no constitutional fiscal-year limitations restrict the ability to carry the funds forward into a subsequent fiscal year.

“A plain reading of the statute demonstrates legislative intent to provide ($50 million) in each of the three years of the Program,” Drummond wrote in the opinion. “Any distribution from the Revolving Fund that would give a school district the funding it should have received in a previous fiscal year would not create an inequality of expenditures or unequal division of the funds.

“This [opinion] corrects the Department’s mismanagement that prevented school districts from receiving an equal distribution of Program Fund and an error that, in [Superintendent Walters’] own words, concerns and puts at risk the safety of schoolchildren.”

Other financial issues involving education department under scrutiny

The state Department of Education also is locked in another legal dispute with the Legislature. Last week, The Oklahoman reported the agency was sitting on $250,000 designated by the Legislature in 2023 to purchase albuterol inhalers and spacers for each of Oklahoma's 509 school districts, despite pleas from Wallace and Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Chuck Hall, R-Perry.

The agency said there were problems with the bill, including language the agency said would violate the Central Purchasing Act and legislative intent. The agency also claimed the plan would run afoul of the medical licensure board and cause problems with sole source contracts. Walters has also asked Drummond to weigh in on the dispute.

Other financial questions have been raised in recent days about the agency not fully implementing paid maternity leave for school employees mandated in a 2023 law and the agency failing to implement a pay raise for teachers in school districts that don’t receive funding for teacher pay from the state ― " off the formula ," in Capitol parlance.

There also have been questions about the agency's slow pace in informing districts of their projected allocations of Title I money, which is passed to districts through the agency from the federal government. Title I money is allocated based on the number of low-income students served by families.

Those numbers, provided to districts by the agency’s past administrations in late spring or early summer, are vital in helping districts plan budgets and determining how many teachers they can hire. The fiscal year began on July 1.

The agency didn’t announce Title I allocation notices until Thursday, in a caustic email that referred to the issue as a “fake controversy."

The financial issues have led House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, and state Rep. Kevin Wallace, R-Wellson, the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, to convene an investigation into the agency to be conducted by the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency . On Friday, Walters called on McCall to convene a House impeachment hearing immediately, but McCall declined.

Main Navigation

Contact NeurIPS
Code of Ethics
Code of Conduct
Create Profile
Journal To Conference Track
Diversity & Inclusion
Proceedings
Future Meetings
Exhibitor Information
Privacy Policy

Call for High School Projects

Machine learning for social impact .

The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2024) is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers in machine learning, neuroscience, statistics, optimization, computer vision, natural language processing, life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and other adjacent fields.

This year, we invite high school students to submit research papers on the topic of machine learning for social impact. A subset of finalists will be selected to present their projects virtually and will have their work spotlighted on the NeurIPS homepage. In addition, the leading authors of up to five winning projects will be invited to attend an award ceremony at NeurIPS 2024 in Vancouver.

Each submission must describe independent work wholly performed by the high school student authors. We expect each submission to highlight either demonstrated positive social impact or the potential for positive social impact using machine learning. Application areas may include but are not limited to the following:

Agriculture
Climate change
Homelessness
Food security
Mental health
Water quality

Authors will be asked to confirm that their submissions accord with the NeurIPS code of conduct and the NeurIPS code of ethics .

Submission deadline: All submissions must be made by June 27th, 4pm EDT. The system will close after this time, and no further submissions will be possible.

We are using OpenReview to manage submissions. Papers should be submitted here . When registering for a new OpenReview profile, you can type in the name of your high school as the institution and “high school student” as the role. Submission will open June 1st. Submissions under review will be visible only to their assigned program committee. We will not be soliciting comments from the general public during the reviewing process. Anyone who plans to submit a paper as an author or a co-author will need to create (or update) their OpenReview profile by the full paper submission deadline.

Formatting instructions: All submissions must be in PDF format. Submissions are limited to four content pages , including all figures and tables; additional pages containing only references are allowed. You must format your submission using the NeurIPS 2024 HighSchool style file using the “preprint” option for non-anonymous submission. The maximum file size for submissions is 50MB. Submissions that violate the NeurIPS style (e.g., by decreasing margins or font sizes) or page limits may be rejected without further review. Papers may be rejected without consideration of their merits if they fail to meet the submission requirements, as described in this document.

Mentorship and collaboration: The submitted research can be a component of a larger research endeavor involving external collaborators, but the submission should describe only the authors’ contributions. The authors can also have external mentors but must disclose the nature of the mentorship. At the time of submission, the authors will be asked to describe the involvement of any mentors or external collaborators and to distinguish mentor and collaborator contributions from those of the authors. In addition, the authors may (optionally) include an acknowledgements section acknowledging the contributions of others following the content sections of the submission. The acknowledgements section will not count toward the submission page limit.

Proof of high school attendance: Submitting authors will also be asked to upload a signed letter, on school letterhead, from each author’s high school confirming that the author was enrolled in high school during the 2023-2024 academic year.

Supplementary artifacts: In their four content pages, authors may link to supplementary artifacts including videos, working demonstrations, digital posters, websites, or source code. For source code, this can be done by, for example, uploading the code to a free https://github.com/ repository and then including a hyperlink to that repository in the submitted paper. Data files that are not too large can also be uploaded to a GitHub repository, and larger files can be uploaded to a free research data repository like https://dataverse.harvard.edu/ . Please do not link to additional text. All such supplementary material should be wholly created by the authors and should directly support the submission content.

Review process: Each submission will be reviewed by anonymous referees. The authors, however, should not be anonymous. No written feedback will be provided to the authors.

Finalist notifications will be sent to authors on September 25 .

Use of Large Language Models (LLMs): We welcome authors to use any tool that is suitable for preparing high-quality papers and research. However, we ask authors to keep in mind two important criteria. First, we expect papers to fully describe their methodology. Any tool that is important to that methodology, including the use of LLMs, should be described also. For example, authors should mention tools (including LLMs) that were used for data processing or filtering, visualization, facilitating or running experiments, or proving theorems. It may also be advisable to describe the use of LLMs in implementing the method (if this corresponds to an important, original, or non-standard component of the approach). Second, authors are responsible for the entire content of the paper, including all text and figures, so while authors are welcome to use any tool they wish for writing the paper, they must ensure that all text is correct and original.

Dual submissions: Submissions that are substantially similar to papers that the authors have previously published or submitted in parallel to other peer-reviewed venues with proceedings or journals may not be submitted to NeurIPS. Papers previously presented at workshops or science fairs are permitted, so long as they did not appear in a conference proceedings (e.g., CVPRW proceedings), a journal, or a book. However, submissions will not be published in formal proceedings, so work submitted to this call may be published elsewhere in the future. Plagiarism is prohibited by the NeurIPS Code of Conduct .

Contact: [email protected]

NeurIPS uses cookies to remember that you are logged in. By using our websites, you agree to the placement of cookies.

latest in US News

US 'kinetic strike' takes out senior leader of terrorist group...

GOP rep clashes with son's teacher who suggested that iconic...

Gavin Newsom jokes about Harris landing nomination without...

Injured motorcyclist survives on creek water for 5 days after...

Justin and Hailey Bieber welcome their first baby as newborn's...

Bicycle-riding bandit knocks out, robs man on NYC street in broad...

Judge rules Breonna Taylor’s boyfriend caused her death,...

Jersey Shore bar's controversial 'teen night' divides small town:...

Jewish groups launch campus-security campaign as schools face threats of violence with protests set to start new semester.

Two organizations said Thursday they’ve launched an initiative to increase security for Jewish students on campus this fall.

The move comes on the heels of a House of Representatives committee report that none of the students arrested after breaking into and occupying a Columbia University building during anti-Israel demonstrations this spring has been expelled by the Ivy League outpost.

The nation’s campuses have been rocked by protests and tent-city “encampments” leaving Jewish students threatened. A federal judge this month ordered the University of California, Los Angeles, to maintain equal access to the school’s campus for Jewish and non-Jewish students, blasting the school for saying it had “no responsibility” to protect the religious freedoms of Jewish students.

And campus police at the City University of New York last week told The Post their campuses were not at all ready for another round of “potentially dangerous” anti-Israel protests.

Workers at Columbia University check identification for those seeking to enter the school's campus. But CUNY campus police told The Post their locations aren't prepared for protests.

Two groups — Secure Community Network and Hillel International — are out to change that. They said the “Operation SecureOurCampuses” effort will help “fortify” campus security in the face of anticipated protests as classes begin.

The campaign will include full-time intelligence analysis of campus developments, consultations on security and emergency plans and procedures, and “enhanced cooperation” with law enforcement to safeguard centers of Jewish life on and near campus.

A federal judge this month told the University of California, Los Angeles, it must safeguard Jewish student access to all parts of the campus.

“The unacceptable threat environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff on campuses across the country demands an immediate and robust response,” said SCN National Director and CEO Michael Masters. “We are committed to ensuring that members of the community feel safe and supported as they pursue their education — they should be able to walk across our campuses free from fear, harassment, or targeted violence.

SCN, which tracked 674 incidents of threats and suspicious activities targeting the Jewish community since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, says many schools “struggled to protect Jewish students and faculty.”

The group already has brought together law enforcement and public-safety officials from 92 universities in 24 states, along with FBI representatives and Jewish security professionals. Ten recommendations emerged, including proactive planning, strict security policy enforcement and increased cooperation with local law enforcement.

Adam Lehman, president and CEO of Hillel International, said of the effort: “Together, we will continue to invest in expanded security resources that facilitate safe and secure opportunities for students to take advantage of the broad array of Jewish experiences and programs available through Hillel and its partners.”

IMAGES

School Security Measures Impact
Career Stage 2 School Safety and Security Survey sample
Security Assessment: School Security Assessment Checklist
Security Education Exam Questions for Primary Schools 1-6 all Term
(PDF) School Safety and Security: In Search of Best Practices
6 Effective School Security Measures

COMMENTS

PDF School Security Measures and Their Impact on Students
Trends in the Use of Security Measures in Schools. Nearly 70% of students ages 12-18 reported in 2015 the presence of security guards or police officers in their schools; 83% reported the use of security cameras; and more than 12% reported the use of metal detectors.4. In the 2013-14 school year, 75% of public schools reported that they ...
Making Schools Safe for Students
Today, nearly 100% of schools serving 12- to 18-year-olds use at least one safety or security measure. [4] This includes locked doors, security cameras, hallway supervision, controlled building access, metal detectors, and locker checks. However, use of these measures varies by factors such as the school's population and location.
Full article: Preventing School Violence and Promoting School Safety
It examines multiple dimensions of school safety research, unpacking empirically-based answers to key research questions, and enabling a broad array of educational stakeholders to identify links to their own areas of school safety concerns, further bridging the research-to-practice gap, linking analysis of research, policy, and practice.
PDF School Security: What We Know and What We Need to Know
School security implementation refers to the actions taken by the federal government, states, school districts and administrators to promote safety among members of the school community. This section summarizes research on school security, existing school security plans, and input from the experts at the conference on school security.
Integrating Policy into School Safety Theory and Research
During the past 40 years, school safety policy and real-life events have shaped the development of research, interventions, and theory (American Educational Research Association, 2013; Astor & Benbenishty, 2019a; Astor et al., 2013; Interdisciplinary Group on Preventing School and Community Violence, 2013).Likewise, research and theory in psychology have strongly affected global school safety ...
PDF CISA K-12 School Security Guide
K-12 schools in the United States face today. The guide is designed and organized for local education agencies to employ in conjunction with the K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT), a web-based tool that provides further guidance on school physical security planning and imple-mentation.
Schools tighten security, but measures differ by ...
Security staff. About two-thirds of public K-12 schools (65%) had one or more security staff person present at the school at least once a week in 2019-20, up from 43% a decade earlier. In about half of schools (51%) in the 2019-20 school year, the security staff included at least one sworn law enforcement officer who routinely carried a firearm.
Safe Places to Learn: Advances in School Safety Research and Practice
Her research focuses broadly on school safety and building social-emotional strengths of youth, with a particular emphasis on bullying and other forms of violence and victimization. Ryan Randa. Ryan Randa is an Associate Professor in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. He is the co-Editor of the Journal of School ...
School Security
RAND Review: November-December 2023. Features explore the use of psychedelics to address depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders among veterans, and the prevalence of food insecurity among active-duty military families and veterans. Journal Article. Sep 11, 2023.
Publications
Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM): Best Practice Considerations for K-12 Schools. This school safety and crisis resource by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) examines the evidence-based best practices of Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) in a K-12 school setting. Full Report & PDF.
(PDF) Understanding School Safety and Security ...
School security and safety are very essential elements in the evaluation of the school environment. ... One research question and one hypothesis guided the study. Descriptive survey design was ...
School Safety: Research on Gathering Tips and Addressing Threats
A warning that someone is planning a school shooting can save lives if it is received and acted upon in a timely manner. Research has shown that individuals who plan to conduct a school attack typically share that information with someone else. These are often peers, such as friends or other students at school.[1] Schools that use planned, systematic techniques for gathering information on ...
PDF Student Perceptions of School Security Measures
What research questions do we still need to ask? What methods should we ... (2013). Students and perceived school safety: The impact of school security measures. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 570 ... & Higgins D'Alessandro, A. (2013). A review of school climate research. Review of Educational Research, 83, 357-85. Tillyer, M.S ...
Teachers' Views on School Safety
Similar to older and state-specific surveys, this survey found that teachers are divided about arming teachers at school. Fifty-four percent of the nationally representative sample of teachers reported believing that teachers carrying firearms will make schools less safe, 20 percent reported believing that it will make schools safer, and the final 26 percent reported feeling that it would make ...
School Safety and Security: In Search of Best Practices
Telephone: (616) 331-7149 Telephone: (616) 331 7138. Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]. Abstract: Crisis situations in school may emerge along a continuum from natural disasters ...
Creating Safer Schools: A Case Study
Nov 8, 2023 by Nancy Duchesneau and Manny Zapata. School safety and student well-being are crucial to the social, emotional, and academic development of young people. Simply put, students learn better when they feel safe. Many districts have turned to school security measures that offer visible signs or outward appearances of safety; however ...
PDF Comprehensive School Safety Initiative Report
The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76), provides $75 million for the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, which is described further in the accompanying explanatory statement. This Initiative is to be overseen by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
The Role of Technology in Improving K-12 School Safety
The Authors Identify 12 Types of School Safety Technologies. The technologies identified include employing entry control equipment, ID technology, video surveillance, and school-site alarm and protection systems. Other technologies identified were metal detectors and X-ray machines, anonymous tip lines, tracking systems, mapping schools and bus ...
(PDF) School Security: For Whom and With What Results?
PDF | This study utilized school-level data from several combined national databases to address two questions regarding school security policy: (1) What... | Find, read and cite all the research ...
5 Questions Everyone Should Ask About School Safety and Security
5 Questions You Should Ask About School Safety and Security. These success stories come from communities that are prepared and working together: students, parents, teachers, Student Resource Officers, custodians, lunch ladies, counselors— everyone has to be involved. Here are five questions everyone should ask about school safety and security: 1.
K-12 School Security Guide (3rd Edition) and School Security ...
The K-12 School Security Guide (3rd ed., 2022) provides a comprehensive doctrine and systems-based methodology to support schools in conducting vulnerability assessments and planning to implement layered physical security elements across K-12 districts and campuses.The primary focus of the guide is on protection and mitigation measures and strategies schools should consider in their broader ...
A Qualitative Study of Perception of School Safety among Youth in a
Mary Cunningham is a research specialist at the Prevention Research Center in the University of Michigan School of Public Health.She manages multiple projects relating to school safety and positive youth development. Her research interests include race-based disparities, program evaluation, youth development, and school safety.
Best Practices for School Security and Emergency Preparedness Planning
When security equipment is used in schools, it must be viewed as a supplement to, but not a substitute for, a more comprehensive school safety program.A brief sample of basic school security measures include cost-free and lower cost measures such as, but not limited to, reducing the number of open doors, having functional communications systems ...
Protect the entire campus: Security incidents outside of the classroom
A new report on K-12 school safety reveals that more than 50% of school safety incidents occur outside the classroom. Districts must prioritize full campus protection — from hallways to parking lots or even sports fields — to ensure that they're prepared to respond quickly in an emergency, no matter where on campus an incident happens.
NAIS
Federal and state grant opportunities are available. The Grants Finder Tool helps schools identify and stay up to date on school safety-related federal funding opportunities. The State Search Tool helps schools locate and access state-specific school safety resources, programs, contacts, and opportunities. As always, it is important to evaluate ...
UTSA among 11 universities tackling research security threats in new
AUGUST 12, 2024 — UTSA will partner with Texas A&M University to co-lead SECURE Southwest, one of five new regional centers being launched to strengthen U.S. research security.. Under a five-year, $67 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center aims to strengthen intellectual property and ...
Master of Information and Cybersecurity
Through a holistic approach to cybersecurity, students develop a thorough understanding of information security technologies as well as the economic, legal, behavioral, and ethical impacts of cybersecurity. Students graduate as competitive candidates in the job market with connections to UC Berkeley alumni and professionals in the San Francisco Bay Area.Request more infoA Leadership-Focused ...
AG issues opinion on school security money question posed by Walters
In what he called an "expedited" opinion issued Sunday, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the Oklahoma State Department of Education must immediately send school districts security funds that have been withheld by the agency because of a legal disagreement with the state Legislature.. State schools Superintendent Ryan Walters, who leads the education agency, requested the opinion ...
2024 Call for High School Projects
Call for High School Projects Machine Learning for Social Impact The Thirty-Eighth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS 2024) is an interdisciplinary conference that brings together researchers in machine learning, neuroscience, statistics, optimization, computer vision, natural language processing, life sciences, natural sciences, social sciences, and other ...
Jewish groups launch campus-security campaign as schools face threats
The campaign will include full-time intelligence analysis of campus developments, consultations on security and emergency plans and procedures, and "enhanced cooperation" with law enforcement ...