Federal Commission on School Safety

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President’s Federal Commission on School Safety Releases Comprehensive Report

After 9 months of research, visiting successful programs around the nation, and receiving testimony from experts and concerned citizens, the Federal Commission on School Safety released a report detailing 93 best practices and policy recommendations for improving safety at schools across the country. The 177-page report focuses on prevention and protection.

Utilizing the information gathered, the Commission report offers a holistic approach to improving school safety, ranging from supporting the social and emotional well-being of students to enhancing physical building security. Acknowledging there can be no one-size-fits-all solution to this complex problem, the final report serves as a resource guide for families, educators, law enforcement officers, health professionals, and elected leaders to use as they consider the best ways to prevent, mitigate, and recover from acts of violence in schools. The recommendations are based on efforts that are already working in states and local communities.

In the wake of the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in February 2018, President Donald J. Trump established the Commission and tasked its members with studying and recommending ways to make our nation's schools more secure.

Over the 9 months that followed, the Commissioners, held more than a dozen meetings, field visits, and listening sessions.

Commission meetings provided a forum for presentations from subject matter experts, educators, law enforcement officials, and individuals affected by school violence. Field visits involved travel to schools to learn first-hand about current best practices in school safety. Listening sessions occurred in regions across the country and provided opportunities for the public to offer recommendations to the Commission. In total, the Commissioners heard from dozens of experts from nearly 40 states and reviewed more than 1,500 comments from the public.

The Federal Commission on School Safety Report contains 19 chapters divided into three sections based on well-established phases of security planning:

• Prevent
• Protect and mitigate
• Respond and Recover

You may also feel free to contact us; we are more than happy to assist you in reviewing your facility’s emergency plan, assist with developing a plan, or conduct response assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of your current plan during a test scenario or red-teaming exercise.