School Safety
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Working together to keep schools, students, and staff safe
San Diego County Office of Education (SDCOE) staff provide training, technical assistance, and direct services to assist school districts in developing and supporting their Comprehensive School Safety Plans. These plans incorporate the Incident Command System (ICS) which is a specific requirement of the National Incident Command System (NIMS). NIMS guides all levels of government and non-government organizations and the private sector to work together to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from incidents that may impact schools.
More to Explore
- Workshops and Trainings
- Comprehensive School Safety Plan Resources
- Crisis Intervention Resources
- Incident Command System Resources
- Threat Assessment Resources
- Safety and Well-Being Resources
Workshops and Trainings
School Safety trainings are scheduled throughout the year at SDCOE facilities. School districts may also arrange to have these workshops conducted at their facilities for their employees.
After completing this training, participants will be prepared to lead their school or school district through the planning process needed to support the implementation of this approach.
This workshop takes an in-depth look at the legal requirements for Comprehensive School Safety Plans (CSSP). Participants will be guided through the mandated development and annual review process, as well as a component-by-component look at each of the required CSSP elements.
This two-day workshop is designed to provide school-based mental health professionals with the knowledge, and to begin to develop the skills, needed to meet the immediate needs of students and staff following a school-associated crisis.
Learn more about the Emergency Operations Centers for Schools training, desired outcomes for participants, and which school or district personnel should attend.
View details about the Incident Command System for Schools training, desired outcomes for participants, and which school or district personnel should attend.
This workshop will review a practical, site-based team approach for conducting thorough, accurate assessments of students’ threats of violence. Team member roles, actions steps, documentation and follow-up support will be addressed, and sample district and site protocols will be provided.
Comprehensive School Safety Plan Resources
-
Guide to Completing the SDCOE Comprehensive School Safety Plan Template 2022-2023
-
SDCOE Comprehensive School Safety Plan Template – updated October, 2022
- School Protection and Evacuation Plan for Wildfires (.docx)
Summary of revisions made on July 10, 2015
Section B A on Child Abuse Reporting Procedures was updated to include information on AB 1432, which requires all school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and charter schools to:
- Annually train, using the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services, or other training, employees and persons working on their behalf who are mandated reporters, as defined in Penal Code 11165.7, on the mandated reporting requirements.
- Develop a process for all persons required to receive training under the bill to provide proof of completing this training within the first 6 weeks of each school year or within six weeks of that person's employment.
CSSP Self-Monitoring Tool (.doc)
CSSP Required Element - Resources
Child Abuse Reporting - EC 32282(a)(2)(A)
AB 1432 – Annual Mandated Reporter Online Training
With the passage of AB 1432 in September 2014, school districts, county offices of education, state special schools and diagnostic centers operated by the State Department of Education, and charter schools are required to:
- Annually train, using the online training module provided by the State Department of Social Services, or other training, employees and persons working on their behalf who are mandated reporters, as defined in Penal Code 11165.7, on the mandated reporting requirements.
- Develop a process for all persons required to receive training under the bill to provide proof of completing this training within the first six weeks of each school year or within six weeks of that person's employment.
The training method and process used to assure compliance with AB 1432 should also be outlined in each school's Comprehensive School Safety Plan.
- Mandated Reporting Steps
- Suspected Child Abuse Report Form
Disaster Procedures - EC 32282(a)(2)(B)
- Active Shooter Events
- Best Practice Considerations for Schools in Active Shooter and Other Armed Assailant Drills – National Association of School Psychologists & National Association of School Resource Officers
- Wildfires
- Coping with Shelter in Place Emergencies - American Red Cross (PDF)
- Helping Children After Wildfire - NASP (PDF)
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires (PDF)
- Parent Guidelines for Helping Children Impacted by Wildfires - Español (PDF)
- Recovering from Wildfires (.docx)
- Responding to Natural Disasters - NASP (PDF)
- SAMHSA Guide (PDF)
- Wildfire Media Coverage: Tips for Parents (PDF)
- Wildfire Media Coverage: Tips for Parents - Español (PDF)
- FEMA Online Courses
- Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools
- Preparing for Mass Casualty Incidents: A Guide for Schools, Higher Education, and Houses of Worship
- Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools
- Workplace Security Awareness
- Surveillance Awareness: What You Can Do
- Readiness and Emergency Management For Schools Technical Assistance Center
- Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans
- Emergency Management for Non-Traditional Schools
- California Department of Education
- California Department of Education Disaster preparedness/crisis response
- Crisis Response Box
- California Emergency Management Agency
- Resources for Schools
- School Emergency Response: Using SEMS at Districts and Sites
- San Diego County Office of Education
- Free access to Kognito: a one-hour, online, interactive training for use with all school district staff to prepare them to recognize the signs of psychological distress and make appropriate responses.
Procedure for Notification of Potentially Dangerous Students - EC 32282(a)(2)(D)
- Los Angeles Unified Policy
Safe and Orderly Environment - EC 32282(a)(2)(H)
- California Department of Education
- California Emergency Management Agency
- Hazard Assessment by Address
- Non-Structural Earthquake Hazard Guidance and Checklist for California Schools
- National Crime Prevention Council
- Positive Behavior Interventions and Support
- Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center:
- Texas School Safety Center
Crisis Intervention Resources
National Association of School Psychologists
- School Safety and Crisis Resources
- More information on the PREPaRE workshop series
National Traumatic Stress Network
- Psychological First Aid for Schools
- Other resources on Psychological First Aid
Resources for Use in Response to a Death with Impacts to the School Community
Death caused by an accident or illness related in some way to a school activity
- Crisis Response Guidance (.docx)
- Sample Talking Points (.docx)
- Dealing with Death at School - NASP (PDF)
- Memorial Do's and Don'ts - NASP (PDF)
- Sample Death Notification in Classrooms (.docx)
- Preparing for the Funeral of a Friend (PDF)
- Coping With Grief After a Sudden Death (PDF)
- Sample Staff Meeting Agenda (.docx)
- Template for Staff Memo (.docx)
Death caused by an accident or illness (not related a school activity)
- Crisis Response Guidance (.docx)
- Example Talking Points (.docx)
- Dealing with Death at School - NASP (PDF)
- Memorial Do's and Don'ts - NASP (PDF)
- Sample Death Notification in Classrooms (.docx)
- Preparing for the Funeral of a Friend (PDF)
- Coping With Grief After a Sudden Death (PDF)
- Sample Staff Meeting Agenda (.docx)
- Template Staff Handout (.docx)
Homicide
- Crisis Response Guide (.docx)
- Sample Talking Points (.docx)
- Dealing with Death at School - NASP (PDF)
- Memorial Do's and Don'ts - NASP (PDF)
- Sample Death Notification in Classrooms (.docx)
- Helping Kids Cope with Loss, Death and Grief (PDF)
- Preparing for the Funeral of a Friend (PDF)
- Grieving After the Murder of a Loved One (PDF)
- Grief in Wake of Violent Death (PDF)
- Coping With Grief After a Sudden Death (PDF)
- Sample Staff Meeting Agenda (.docx)
- Template for Staff Memo (.docx)
Suicide
For resources and materials related to suicide prevention and intervention, please visit our suicide prevention page.
Incident Command System Resources
As described by FEMA, the Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized, on-scene, all-hazards incident management approach that:
- Allows for the integration of facilities, equipment, personnel, procedures and communications operating within a common organizational structure.
- Enables a coordinated response among various jurisdictions and functional agencies, both public and private.
- Establishes common processes for planning and managing resources.
ICS is flexible and can be used for incidents of any type, scope and complexity. ICS allows its users to adopt an integrated organizational structure to match the complexities and demands of single or multiple incidents.
ICS is used by all levels of government—federal, state, tribal and local—as well as by many nongovernmental organizations and the private sector. ICS is also applicable across disciplines. It is typically structured to facilitate activities in five major functional areas: command, operations, planning, logistics, and finance/administration. All of the functional areas may or may not be used based on the incident needs. Intelligence/Investigations is an optional sixth functional area that is activated on a case-by-case basis.
As a system, ICS is extremely useful; not only does it provide an organizational structure for incident management but it also guides the process for planning, building, and adapting that structure. Using ICS for every incident or planned event helps hone and maintain skills needed for large-scale incidents.
Resources
FEMA Online Courses
- Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools
- Preparing for Mass Casualty Incidents: A Guide for Schools, Higher Education, and Houses of Worship
ICS Position Guides
- Sample Position Guides
Operations Section Team Leader Guides
Threat Assessment Resources
Safety and Well-Being Resources
Gang Training Resources
- Gang Awareness English Flyer SAMPLE (.doc)
- Gang Awareness Spanish Flyer SAMPLE (.doc)
- Gang BA Parents pg. 1 (PDF)
- Gang BA Parents pg. 2 (.doc)
- Gang BA Parents pp. 3-5 (.doc)
- Sign-In Sheet Template (.doc)
- Training Sign-In Sheet (.doc)
Tips for Violence Prevention and Dealing with School Crisis
- Safety Plan Template (PDF)
- After Crisis Tips (PDF)
- After Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools (PDF)
- Violence Prevention Tips (PDF)
- Tips for Parents (PDF)
- U.S. Department of Education Resources
- Gang Assessment and Documentation for Schools (.doc)
- Homeland Security (PDF)
- Homeland Security (.ppt)
- Juvenile Court and Community Schools (JCCS)
- Parent/Teacher Tips on Helping Kids Regarding War
- Solutions to Bullying (.ppt)
- Solutions to Gangs (.ppt)
- Student Walk-outs: Addressing (.doc)
- Student Walk-outs: Letter to Parents (.doc)
- Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention Resource Guide (PDF)
- Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention PowerPoint Presentation (PDF)
External Links
These external website links are provided for your professional information. The San Diego County Office of Education is not responsible for their contents.
- Anti-Defamation League
- California Department of Education
- Center for Disease Control (CDC)
- Center for the Prevention of School Violence
- Children's Defense Fund
- Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)
- Counseling and Student Support (CDE)
- Drug-free San Diego
- Evaluation Management Training (EMT)
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
- National Safe Kids Campaign
- Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
- Resiliency in Action
- Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program (Dept. of Education)
- Safe from the Start
- San Diego Prevention Coalition
- Search Institute
- Tolerance.org
- United States Department of Justice
- Zeroing in, and Keeping Tabs, on Crime (Union-Tribune)
Email Contacts
Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED)
- CPTED Training
- International CPTED Association
- National Crime Prevention Council
- National Institute of Crime Prevention
Community Oriented Policing
School Safety
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main contacts
Tracy Schmidt
Director, Safety, Well-Being, and Student Engagement
tracy.schmidt@sdcoe.net
Tim Ware
Coordinator, School Safety and Security Services
tim.ware@sdcoe.net
858-298-2080
cell: 619-550-7106