A group of 12 state education leaders will collaborate to identify “promising practices to stem the far too frequent incidences of school violence.”
The steering committee, convened by the Council of Chief State School Officers, will also work to identify resources states can use to put those plans into action.
School safety has been thrust into the spotlight in the wake of two large school shootings this year, in Parkland, Fla., and Santa Fe, Texas. The debate over safety includes the work of a federal commission chaired by U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, which is also focused on assembling best practices.
Some researchers have said school safety discussions are often too narrow, focusing on shootings and physical hardware used to secure schools at the exclusion of issues like school climate, student supports, and prevention work.