School Safety

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Notes from the Backpack Podcast

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Students Deserve a Safe Environment

A founding principle of National PTA’s mission is to promote the safety and well-being of all children and youth.

All students and educators have a right to attend schools that are safe and conducive to learning and achievement, yet schools are experiencing increasingly frequent incidents that are having a devastating, long-term impact on students, parents, educators, and the community.

School safety is a multi-faceted issue with no one clear solution for each community.

School Safety for Children

National PTA believes:

  • The most effective day-to-day school climate is gun-free, which includes not arming teachers and administrators; however,
  • All efforts to address school safety must be locally determined, collaborative, and specifically include input from students, parents, and families and take into account a variety of factors including the physical and psychological safety of students.

Read the full National PTA position statement on Safe and Supportive Schools.

What You Can Do

It is imperative that families are actively engaged in creating safe and supportive schools for kids. National PTA has developed resources for parents and PTAs to support you in becoming effective, successful school safety stakeholders. 

  • 20 Questions Every Parent Should Ask: Helps parents have a conversation with their School Principals about school safety policies and procedures, preventative resources for students, families and school personnel, and what type of communication channels in place for families and students.
  • Mobilizing Family Stakeholders: Provides PTA with resources to get in the know about school safety, host a school safety forum and advocate to decision makers about school safety.

Additional Resources for Families and PTAs

  • Know the Signs (Sandy Hook Promise): teaches kids, parents, teachers, and community members to recognize warning signs like social isolation and behavioral shifts—and how to report them.

  • Be Safe and Sound in School (National Safety Council): mobilizes parents, school administrators, elected officials, policymakers, and students to take action on the issue of school safety and security.

  • Framework for Safe and Successful Schools (National Association of School Psychologists): provides evidence-based recommendations for improving school safety. 

  • Parents for Safe Schools (Safe and Sound Schools): designed for parents who want a more hands-on approach to school safety, from learning more to getting involved, or even becoming an advocate for school safety.

  • Be SMART (Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund): provides information and resources to empower parents, caretakers, and community leaders to promote school safety by encouraging secure firearm storage in homes. Be SMART provides tools to help keep schools and communities safer by preventing kids from accessing firearms, as well as guidelines for adopting district-wide secure storage resolutions.