In today’s environment, K-12 school communities face an evolving and unique set of threats, hazards, and security challenges ranging from targeted violence to bombing threats to cyberattacks. These threats can impact a school’s ability to carry out its educational obligations and provide a safe, secure, and supportive learning environment for our Nation’s youth.
CISA, along with other organizations throughout government, law enforcement, and communities nationwide, supports K-12 schools and districts in their efforts to enhance school safety and security. CISA resources and programs are designed to help schools prevent, protect against, and mitigate security threats, risks, and emergency situations.
CISA also recognizes that each school is unique and contends with an individual set of needs, considerations, priorities, and challenges when it comes to school safety. School personnel can use these resources, programs, and tools to develop an actionable and comprehensive school safety plan tailored to their specific needs.
School Safety
SchoolSafety.gov
This site provides a one-stop-shop for school safety information and resources. It houses actionable recommendations, tools, guidance, training, events, and funding opportunities on a range of school safety issues, including targeted violence, cybersecurity, mental health, and emergency planning.
Link: SchoolSafety.gov
K-12 School Security Guide (3rd Edition) and School Security Assessment Tool
This guide provides a comprehensive doctrine and systems-based methodology to support schools in conducting vulnerability assessments and planning to implement layered physical security elements across K–12 districts and campuses. The guide is designed and organized for local education agencies to employ in conjunction with the K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (SSAT), a web-based tool that provides further guidance on school physical security planning and implementation.
Link: K-12 School Security Guide 3rd Ed. (2022)(.pdf, 3.3mb); K-12 School Security Assessment Tool (2022)
National School Safety Summit
The CISA-hosted National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security convenes school safety experts, practitioners, and leaders from across the country to discuss current threats in school safety and explore research-informed strategies for addressing security challenges and risks in K-12 schools.
Link: National School Safety Summit
CISA Tabletop Exercises Packages
CISA Tabletop Exercise Packages (CTEPs) are a comprehensive set of resources designed to assist stakeholders in conducting their own exercises. Partners can use CTEPs to initiate discussions within their organizations about their ability to address a variety of threat scenarios.
Link: CISA Tabletop Exercises Packages
Targeted Violence
Active Shooter Preparedness
These trainings and resources consist of instructor-led webinars and workshops, online training, and best practices documents that focus on behavioral indicators, emergency action plan creation, actions to reduce consequences, and how to quickly recover from an incident.
Link: Active Shooter Preparedness
Active Shooter Preparedness: School Security and Resilience
This video provides information geared towards educators, school resource officers, and school administrators who serve in important roles safeguarding schools.
Link: Active Shooter Preparedness: School Security and Resilience
What to Do – Bomb Threat
This site page offers guidance and resources that outline in-depth procedures for either bomb threats or suspicious items to help individuals and organizations prepare and react appropriately during these events.
Link: What to Do – Bomb Threat
Cybersecurity
StopRansomware.gov
This website is a one-stop hub for resources to tackle ransomware more effectively. It includes tips, guidance, fact sheets, and other resources to help individuals and organizations prevent attacks that can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services.
Link: Stop Ransomware
Cyber Safety Series
This video series, developed in partnership with CYBER.ORG, provides information and tips on various cyber safety topics such as phishing, ransomware, social media, online gaming, and making strong passwords.
Link: Cyber Safety Series
Local Support and Assistance
Protective Security Advisors
These resiliency subject matter experts engage with federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government partners, and members of the private sector stakeholder community to protect the nation’s critical infrastructure. PSAs provide several services to schools, including assisting with security vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity assessments; facilitating active shooter, improvised explosive device (IED), and other security training; and coordinating tabletop exercises and practical exercises.
Link: Protective Security Advisors
Additional DHS Resources
Campus Resilience Program
This web page provides resources for the academic community to address a range of threats or hazards affecting schools and campuses nationwide. These resources increase awareness of current risks and threats related to the academic community, provide tools and content for schools to measure specific campus vulnerabilities, include best practice guides and templates to help schools take action, and list opportunities for schools to evaluate its preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities.
Link: Campus Resilience Program Resource Library
Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence
This guide provides actionable steps schools can take to develop comprehensive targeted violence prevention plans for conducting threat assessments in schools.
Link: Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: An Operational Guide for Preventing Targeted School Violence (.pdf, 952 KB); Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model: Executive Summary (.pdf, 952 KB)
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