After months of research, visiting successful programs around the nation, and receiving testimony from experts and concerned citizens, Tuesday, the Federal Commission on School Safety (Commission) released a 177-page report detailing 93 best practices and policy recommendations for improving safety at schools across the country. Utilizing the information gathered, the Commission report offers a holistic approach to improving school safety, ranging from supporting the social and emotional well-being of students to enhancing physical building security. Acknowledging there can be no one-size-fits-all solution to this complex problem, the final report serves as a resource guide for families, educators, law enforcement officers, health professionals, and elected leaders to use as they consider the best ways to prevent, mitigate, and recover from acts of violence in schools. The recommendations are based on efforts that are already working in states and local communities. Over the nine months, the Commissioners, including U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, held more than a dozen meetings, field visits, and listening sessions. Commission meetings provided a forum for presentations from subject matter experts, educators, law enforcement officials, and individuals affected by school violence. Field visits involved travel to schools to learn first-hand about current best practices in school safety. Listening sessions occurred in regions across the country and provided opportunities for the public to offer recommendations to the Commission. In total, the Commissioners heard from dozens of experts from nearly 40 states and reviewed more than 1,500 comments from the public via safety@ed.gov. The Federal Commission on School Safety Report contains 19 chapters divided into three sections based on “well-established” phases of security planning
(Report can be found here: https://www2.ed.gov/documents/school-safety/school-safety-report.pdf?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term= )