School Safety

Education news, analysis, and opinion about keeping students safe in the school building from bullying, violence, and environmental hazards, among other things

Explainer

Greeley Police Officer Steve Brown stands in the hallway during passing periods at Northridge High School in Greeley, Colo. on Oct. 21, 2016. While school resource officers, like Brown, are expected to handle responsibilities like any police officer they're faced with unique challenges working day-to-day in schools
School Resource Officers (SROs), Explained
Does the presence of armed officers prevent school violence? Do they contribute for Black children to the 'school to prison pipeline'?
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HERMOSA BEACH, CA-NOVEMBER 10, 2023, 2023: People ride an e-bike on the Strand in Hermosa Beach. In Hermosa Beach, it's against city code to use electric power on the Strand, but many e-bike riders do so anyway.
People ride an e-bike in Hermosa Beach, Calif. School districts are developing new policies as students' use of e-bikes rise, as do related crashes and traffic problems.
Mel Melcon/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
School & District Management More Kids Are Riding E-Bikes, Causing Headaches for Schools and Hospital Visits
Districts develop new policies as students' e-bike use spikes—alongside crashes and traffic problems.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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5 min read
An e-bike is seen at a retail store in Glenview, Ill., on July 20, 2022.
An e-bike for sale at a store in Glenview, Ill., on July 20, 2022. More students have been riding the motorized two-wheelers to school, leading school districts to establish restrictions on who can ride them and institute safety training.
Nam Y. Huh/AP
School Climate & Safety FAQs: What Schools Should Know About E-Bikes
Answers to seven questions about students' e-bike use and how schools are responding.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, June 3, 2026
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4 min read
ZeroEyes analyst Mario Hernandez demonstrates the use of AI with surveillance cameras to identify visible guns at the company's operations center, Friday, May 10, 2024, in Conshohocken, Pa. With the increasing use of AI technology, security is changing. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)
ZeroEyes analyst Mario Hernandez demonstrates the use of AI with surveillance cameras to identify visible guns at the company's operations center, on May 10, 2024, in Conshohocken, Pa. School district administrators are investing in acoustic monitoring and passive screening systems to try to make their buildings more secure.
Matt Slocum/AP
School Climate & Safety From Our Research Center See Which Safety Technologies Schools Are Betting On
An EdWeek Research Center Survey finds that schools are investing in detection and AI-powered cameras.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 23, 2026
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3 min read
Drones fly around a mannequin during a demonstration on how to neutralize a shooter in a school, at the headquarters of the startup "Campus Guardian Angel" on May 8, 2026, in Austin, Texas.
Drones fly around a mannequin during a demonstration on how to neutralize a shooter in a school, at the headquarters of Campus Guardian Angel, a school safety startup, on May 8, 2026, in Austin, Texas.
Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty
School Climate & Safety Drones to Stop School Shootings: Promising Tool or Unproven Strategy?
Schools in two states will test drones meant to respond quickly to school shooters.
Evie Blad, May 21, 2026
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6 min read
There was minimal police presence as the Los Angeles County Sheriff's department kept an eye on the Maywood Academy High School graduation ceremony at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, CA on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Law enforcement kept an eye on proceedings at the Maywood Academy High School graduation ceremony at East Los Angeles College in Monterey Park, Calif., on June 12, 2025. Graduation ceremonies pose a unique logistical challenge for school districts, with many considerations to take into account.
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty
School Climate & Safety Steps to Follow for a Smooth, Successful, and Safe Graduation Ceremony
Graduation ceremonies pose unique logistical challenges for school districts. Preparation is key.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 23, 2026
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5 min read
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv weapons detection system in New York City.
A display indicating a detected weapon is pictured on an Evolv AI weapons detection system in New York City, on March 28, 2024. Lawmakers in Georgia are weighing a bill that would require all public schools to have weapons-detection systems or metal detectors at building entrances. While supporters say the systems make schools safer, critics say the technology has limitations.
Barry Williams/New York Daily News via TNS
School Climate & Safety States Push AI Weapons Detection as Part of School Safety
Three states are considering whether to require weapons-detection systems at school entrances.
Evie Blad, March 26, 2026
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5 min read
A person types on a laptop, in Miami. Reuters reports that the hacker, using the name Internet Yiff Machine, said in a statement that they hacked and shared the data to expose that the confidential tips people submit through Navigate360’s P3 Global Intel platform are neither secure nor anonymous. The breach may have exposed the personal information of students attending more than 30,000 schools in the United States.
Cybersecurity experts recommend that schools should take steps now to protect student data as they wait for confirmation of a potential hack of Navigate360’s P3 Global Intel platform, which features a safety tip line.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
Data Privacy & Cybersecurity A Potential Breach of an Anonymous Tip App Could Have Exposed Sensitive Student Data
The breach may have exposed personal information of students attending more than 30,000 schools.
Lauraine Langreo & Arianna Prothero, March 20, 2026
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5 min read
A hallway at a school in Morrisville, Pa., on Nov. 13, 2025. Data from a recent survey shows the link between safety and relationships come as schools carve out portions of their increasingly limited budgets on school security measures, safety training, and mental health programs to keep students safe.
A recent survey shows the link between safety and relationships as schools struggle to carve out portions of their increasingly limited budgets for school security measures, safety training, and mental health programs. A hallway at a school in Morrisville, Pa., is shown on Nov. 13, 2025.
Rachel Wisniewski for Education Week
School Climate & Safety This Key Factor Helps Students Feel Safe at School
Students who believe educators take their safety concerns seriously are more likely to feel safe.
Evie Blad, March 2, 2026
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3 min read
Image of students in isolation in artistic manner with red evocative color and shadows.
Laura Baker/Education Week & Getty
Special Education Investigation Finds 'Shocking Overuse' of Seclusion and Restraint in This District
Restraint and seclusion should not be used in routine school discipline, the Justice Department says.
Evie Blad, February 24, 2026
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5 min read
Illustration of thief/fisherman catching at (@) symbol.
DigitalVision Vectors
Data Privacy & Cybersecurity These Students Tricked Teachers With Phishing Emails—for a Good Cause
The exercise helped students understand how to protect themselves against hackers.
Alyson Klein, February 17, 2026
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8 min read
In an aerial view, Waymo robotaxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025 , in San Francisco . Self-driving taxi company Waymo said it is voluntarily recalling software in its autonomous vehicles after Texas officials documented at least 19 incidents this school year in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses, including while students were getting on or off.
Waymo self-driving taxis sit parked at a Waymo facility on Dec. 8, 2025, in San Francisco. Federal agencies are investigating after Austin, Texas, schools documented incidents in which the cars illegally passed stopped school buses. In a separate incident, a robotaxi struck a student at low speed as she ran across the street in front of her Santa Monica, Calif., elementary school.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via TNS
School Climate & Safety Schools Flag Safety Incidents As Driverless Cars Enter More Cities
Agencies are examining reports of Waymos illegally passing buses; in another case, one struck a student.
Evie Blad, January 29, 2026
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5 min read
Thu., January 29, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
School Climate & Safety Webinar Strategies for Improving School Climate and Safety
Discover strategies that K-12 districts have utilized inside and outside the classroom to establish a positive school climate.
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January 29, 2026
Protesters demonstrate against ICE agents near the the Whipple Federal Building on Jan. 8, 2026.
Protestors gather after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis, on Jan. 7, 2026. The incident later prompted the Minneapolis school district to cancel classes amid broader federal immigration operations.
Richard Tsong-Taatarii/The Minnesota Star Tribune via TNS
School & District Management Minneapolis Schools Close in Wake of Deadly Shooting, Immigration Enforcement
The districtwide closure marks a departure from schools' responses to ICE presence.
Ileana Najarro, January 8, 2026
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6 min read
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2026 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
January 1, 2026
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3 min read