The U.S. Department of Education wants your feedback on how to best respond to educational and technical assistance needs in your region! Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona is establishing Regional Advisory Committees (RACs) and seeks nominations to serve on the RACs. The new RACs will be instrumental in identifying and implementing the technical assistance, professional development, training, and research needs and priorities for improving academic achievement, closing achievement gaps, and encouraging and sustaining school improvement.

You are invited to nominate yourself or a colleague to serve on an RAC. Membership of each RAC will be diverse and may include local education agency representatives (rural and urban); state education agency representatives; institution of higher education (IHE) representatives; practicing educators (classroom teachers, principals, administrators, school board members, school officials); parents; business representatives; and researchers. Find details on the nomination process in the Federal Register and submit your nomination to OESE.RAC@ed.gov by Thursday, May 11, 2023.

Preparing for emergencies and ensuring the well-being of the whole school or campus community involves assessing, maintaining, and improving the safety and security of buildings on campuses and school grounds. According to a 2020 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, K-12 school districts identified two of their highest priorities for school facility renovations and updates as improving security and addressing health hazards. May is Building Safety Month, which is an opportunity for schools, school districts, and IHEs to conduct site assessments, implement Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, prepare for emergencies that may impact school and campus buildings, and improve the design and construction of buildings and grounds to deter or mitigate potential hazards or threats. The REMS TA Center has several resources and training opportunities to help schools and IHEs maximize their participation in this month-long stakeholder event.

• Learn about how site assessments can be used to inform school and higher ed emergency operations plans (EOPs) through our Webinar and online course;
• Conduct a site assessment of your school or campus buildings and grounds using our convenient and customizable mobile application, SITE ASSESS;
• Facilitate or participate in a training on CPTED using our specialized training package module on the topic;
• Learn about the role of school facility managers in school safety efforts;
• Participate in structural and nonstructural mitigation activities for buildings; and
• Learn about cost-effective methods for retrofitting education facilities in order to improve their safety and security.

This month, consider convening your core planning teams to engage in the above activities to improve your school’s or IHE’s safety, security, and preparedness. Share your activities with the REMS TA Center via Twitter or email; we want to hear what you’re doing at your site!

School EOPs must address a wide range of threats and hazards and account for incidents that may occur during and outside the school day as well as on and off campus (e.g., sporting events, field trips). Often, athletic directors serve in dual roles in educational settings, teaching and overseeing all aspects of athletic programs, including safety. Join the REMS TA Center on Wednesday, May 17, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET, for our Webinar, The Role of Athletic Directors in School Safety Efforts, to learn how athletic directors contribute to the development of EOPs and ensure safety for students, coaches, and visitors at on-campus and off-campus athletic events.

This Webinar will feature members from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association and is intended for administrators, educators, extracurricular staff, athletic directors, coaches, and EOP planning team members at school districts and all K-12 schools. For more information and to attend the live event, visit the REMS TA Center Website and register online to secure your space. Archived Webinars highlighting the critical role of school nurses, school facility managers, information technology specialists, and other practitioners in supporting school safety can be found on our Website.

As schools and school districts end or near the end of their school year, there is an essential action that students and staff need to take to finish the year strong — show appreciation to teachers and educators. Every day teachers ensure the well-being and safety of students individually and collectively. They also are a great gauge of the school’s climate and preparedness, observing various areas and people within the school building. Teachers have a wealth of knowledge about the perceptions of safety from students, their colleagues, families and caregivers, and other members of the whole school community. In addition, teachers have critical insight into the safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness of their classrooms and other spaces around the school.

During this Teacher Appreciation Week, May 8-12, show your teachers how grateful you are for all they do to keep students and staff safe and supported. Consider inviting them to participate on your core planning team, encourage youth preparedness in the classroom, and/or share ideas on how to integrate emergency management into curricula. You can spread the word and learn more about teachers’ contributions to and impact in school safety efforts by watching The Role of Teachers in School Safety Efforts Webinar. This Webinar shares critical information about the teacher’s role in supporting school safety efforts at the local level.

Around 10 percent of U.S. K-12 students are enrolled in private schools, making it equally important as public schools for private schools to develop high-quality school EOPs. As private schools engage in this preparedness work, it is critical that they collaborate with community partners (including nearby school districts) to prevent, prepare for, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards in their communities. While the six-step planning process and planning principles are applicable to all schools, there are some emergency management planning considerations and challenges — both internal and external — that are unique to private schools.

To learn more about specific considerations and challenges for private schools, explore the REMS TA Center’s NEW fact sheet, Private Schools: Emergency Management Planning for All Settings. This fact sheet offers private school leaders and core planning teams points to consider when developing a school EOP, a walk-through of the planning process, methods for engaging the community and promoting partnerships, and additional resources to support emergency management planning efforts.

Using funds from the Grants to States for School Emergency Management, the Maine Department of Education established the Maine School Safety Center (Center) in 2019. Their mission is to develop a safe school infrastructure by delivering high-quality and up-to-date best practices, procedures, training, technical assistance, and support to Maine schools. One of their major efforts has been developing curriculum for, planning, and launching a School Safety Specialist Program in the fall of 2022. The program aims to increase the preparedness capacity of local education agencies and develop safety leaders within schools.

The Maine School Safety Specialist Program is credentialed and offers badges to participants through the community college system with which the Center partners. Courses include fundamentals of school emergency management, behavioral threat assessment, and restorative practices; food insecurity and school climate and culture; EOPs, the planning process, and important themes in emergency management planning; and the Incident Command System. Program completion takes approximately 25 hours across 6 weeks and is an asynchronous training with one virtual synchronous meeting. Eligible participants include school district and school (public, private, and charter) administrators, educators, and staff in Maine. Learn more about the program and the Center online.