NSBA Releases Comprehensive School Safety Guide

Washington, D.C. – NSBA has released a legal guide to help school board members, as policy makers for school districts, navigate the increasingly complex world of emergency preparedness and response to instances of school safety and mass violence. “Fostering Safer Schools, A Legal Guide for School Board Members on School Safety” takes a fresh look through a legal lens at school safety. The guide identifies key areas of concern that have emerged as looming issues including student mental health, crisis management, working with law enforcement and legal liability. 

“School safety has been and will always be a top concern for school board members,” says Thomas J. Gentzel, NSBA’s Executive Director & CEO. “I hope this legal guide offers state school boards associations a valuable resource they can share with their school board members to ensure that each and every student and educator is able to learn and teach in most secure environment possible.”

The school safety guide covers:

  • Student emotional and mental well-being and threat assessment;
  • School safety planning;
  • Working with law enforcement; and
  • Liability and insurance.

The guide also provides a list of resources that are available from NSBA, state school boards associations, third-party organizations, and federal, state and local government.

“School safety needs to continue to be top of mind for all of us in the wake of so many tragedies, whether big or small,” adds Francisco Negrón, NSBA’s Chief Legal Officer and Interim Chief Advocacy Officer. “Our guide offers school boards critical information and best practices to consider when making the best choices for their school districts and their children.”

Access Fostering School Safety, A Legal Guide for School Board Members on School Safety at https://www.nsba.org/fostering-safer-schools

Featured

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • Image credit: O

    Strategic Campus Assessment: Moving Beyond Reactive Maintenance in Educational Facilities

    While campuses may appear stable on the surface, building systems naturally evolve over time, and proactive assessment can identify developing issues before they become expensive emergencies. The question isn't whether aging educational facilities need attention. It's how institutions can transition from costly reactive maintenance to strategic asset management in a way that protects both budgets and communities.

  • University of West Florida Opens New Laboratory Facility

    The University of West Florida recently announced that renovation work is complete on a new lab building for its campus in Pensacola, Fla., according to university news. Building 80 will serve as the home to the university’s civil engineering program and the Tyler Chase Norwood Construction Management Program.

Digital Edition