The U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) presents an overview of its review of current approaches for analyzing and countering threats to school safety.
For educators, law enforcement personnel, and others committed to keeping schools safe, issues such as crime, bullying, and mental health resources are also important components of school safety planning. According to the Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021, criminal victimization of students ages 12-18 – including theft, rape, sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault - has declined since 2009. Tip lines have become a common option for gathering information on threats to student or school safety. Preliminary findings from several NIJ-funded studies on how schools identify, report, and respond to threats show that tip lines can be a useful violence-prevention tool when coupled with investments in technology, training, and a systematic approach to responding to tips. SchoolSafety.gov offers actionable recommendations to create a safe and supportive learning environment in which students can thrive and grow. The site covers critical areas of interest for school staff and school district personnel, including mental health, emergency planning, bullying, and cybersecurity. To help school leaders make decisions when implementing new programs, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Model Programs Guide provides ratings of programs that focus on various aspects of school safety, including bullying, school violence, and school climate (the quality of school life). School-focused programs can be found under most of the topics in this guide.