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 Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Big Horn Academy

    Big Horn Academy

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Big Horn Academy has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

  • Embry-Riddle Completes Construction on Research, Lab Facility

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced the end of construction on a new research and lab facility on campus. The Center for Aerospace Engineering II (CAT II) will support aerospace research and technology development and broke ground last summer.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.