The building plans were then written by building-level committees and sent to the district committee for review. This component of Project SAVE is a comprehensive planning effort that addresses risk reduction/prevention, response, and recovery with respect to a variety of emergencies in the school district and its schools. Soon students talk with confidence about school safety. The teams also evaluate and supervise each school’s emergency plans and drills annually. Most recently, the Jefferson County teams have begun to attend to the unique safety needs of special education students through the Especially Safe program developed by our organization. The district’s multidisciplinary safety team takes advantage of the skills and expertise brought to the table by team members from the sheriff’s department, student services, facilities and school administrators for a truly holistic approach.

RESOURCES

The most significant physical safety risks depend greatly on the geographic location of schools. In our nonprofit organization’s latest annual State of School Safety Report, we found only 68 percent of students said they feel safe at school. The group credits its diverse collective of skills and perspectives with the success they’ve experienced navigating a variety of school safety challenges (including the pandemic) over the years.

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Upon activation of the School Emergency Response Team, the superintendent of schools or his/her designee will be notified, and, where appropriate, local emergency officials will also be notified. The Superintendent of Schools encourages and advocates ongoing district-wide cooperation and support of Project SAVE. As part of this undertaking, and in conjunction with the formulation of the Comprehensive Safety Plan for School-Crisis, the District has provided training for its emergency teams and safety officers, including de-escalation training.

However, although SWPBIS has the potential to help schools foster inclusion, the research we reviewed demonstrates that students with ESN are not consistently included in all aspects of SWPBIS. Furthermore, field experiences in which pre-service teachers support students with ESN in inclusive school environments may foster a more inclusive and equity-focused teaching philosophy (Kurth et al.2021). As noted by researchers and our consultants, school personnel training practices focused on the inclusion of students with ESN are needed to guide SWPBIS teams in these efforts. For example, Walker and Loman (2022) suggested that SWPBIS teams should work closely with teachers of students with ESN to consider adapting existing supports using UDL principles and evidence-based practices for this student population (e.g. Loman et al.2018) and establishing meaningful data collection procedures that reflect students with ESN. As such, it will be important for SWPBIS teams to identify strategies that promote meaningful and equitable involvement in SWPBIS across all educational settings for students with ESN. Although over 25,000 schools in the United States have adopted SWPBIS and research evidence suggests positive student and school personnel outcomes (e.g. Baule and Superior 2020; James et al.2018; Ross et al.2012), there remain concerns about the inclusion of students with ESN (Kurth and Enyart 2016).

• Simonsen et al. (2010) observed educators posting and explicitly teaching Tier 1 school-wide behavioral expectations to students with and without ESN and measured the effects on student physical aggression and elopement.
• The new law requires public employers to prepare a plan for the continuation of operations in the event that the Governor declares a public health emergency involving a communicable disease.
• The district has established policies and procedures to contact parents, legal guardians or persons in parental relation to the students in the event of a violent incident or an early dismissal.
• The Health and Safety Committee will also communicate the district safety plan to the building leadership teams (BLTs), monitor and coordinate the health and safety plans of the BLTs, and address health and safety issues identified by the BLTs.
• This suggests that attitudinal barriers and misconceptions may interfere with student access to SWPBIS (Feueronborn and Tyre 2016; Feuerborn et al.2018).
• So how should schools build and manage multidisciplinary safety teams?

Districts’ approaches to safety span everything from bullying prevention to active shooter drills. Indeed, strategies such as increasing access to mental health and counseling resources, adopting social and emotional learning practices, implementing restorative practices, and adopting structures and practices that foster strong relationships have been found to significantly reduce school violence and improve school climate. Schools can monitor progress by setting measurable goals that track improvements in student behavior and regularly analyzing behavioral trends to identify areas needing intervention adjustments. Professional development opportunities and ongoing support help educators refine their skills, leading to a more gambling cohesive approach in applying behavior support strategies. Techniques such as positive behavior reinforcement, social skills training, and conflict resolution can effectively address and reduce disruptive behaviors, leading to a more harmonious school environment.