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Kansas school administrators and staff are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for approximately 500,000 Kansas students. America’s Safe Schools Week, running from Oct. 20-26, 2024, is an opportunity to review or enhance districts’ crisis plans.
In honor of America’s Safe Schools Week, the Kansas State Department of Education encourages each district to set aside time that week to review key safety responsibilities.
Emergency Operation Plans (EOP)
Lessons learned from school emergencies highlight the importance of preparing school officials and first responders to implement emergency operations plans. By having those in place, schools play a key role in taking preventative and protective measures to stop an emergency from happening or reduce the impact of an incident.
Plans should include how to work with and include community partners such as police, fire, emergency medical services and emergency management, and should include the five mission areas:
KSDE’s Safe and Secure Schools Unit is available to meet with school administrators to review, enhance or create plans that support the above mission areas, while identifying and prioritizing those hazards that would be common in those areas.
Mental Health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report suicide as the No. 2 leading cause of death among teenagers in the U.S. In the first year after the Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Reintegration and Postvention Toolkit was published, KSDE has trained 881 building-level school mental health team members.
To review a list of all required staff and student trainings, including suicide prevention, click here.
The following list are other resources available to schools and districts:
Drills
Senate Bill 128 mandates districts conduct the following nine drills during the school year:
Districts should conduct these drills with a set of strategies and approaches that aim to create a safe and supportive environment for students, staff and the school community, while limiting the trauma students may experience. For a drill checklist, click here. For more information on safety drills, click here.
Hotline/Suspicious Activity Reporting
KSDE partnered with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) to create a reporting tool for schools and communities called the Suspicious Activity Report (SAR). The SAR does not take the place of calling 911 in an immediate emergency. The tool is intended for students, staff, parents and community members to report suspicious activity.
The KBI receives the report and reviews, analyzes and acts on the information accordingly. For tracking purposes, the person who filled out the report is given a receipt number but can remain anonymous if they wish.
KSDE also has partnered with the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) to offer the Kansas School Safety Hotline. KHP monitors the hotline 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and allows the caller to remain anonymous if they wish. The number is 1-877-626-8203.
We hope that you take advantage of either of these reporting tools. Most importantly, if you see something, SAY something!
For safety posters and QR code labels, click here.
Behavioral Threat Assessment
A vital part of keeping schools safe is creating school level multidisciplinary teams comprised of teachers, counselors, administrators, law enforcement, etc., that meet regularly about identification, evaluation and intervention for possible threats.
The team focuses on prevention and why a student made a threat, so they can offer support and prevent the threat from being carried out.
The KSDE Safe and Secure Schools Unit is here to help schools create a safe environment for everyone. If you have questions or need assistance, email or call:
In this edition | Feature Story | Assessments and Accountability | Reporting and Operations Standards and Instruction | Student Health and Nutrition | Upcoming Events, Trainings and Recognition
Questions about this page contact:
Denise Kahler (785) 296-4876 dkahler@ksde.org
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The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. (more information...)
To accommodate people with disabilities, on request, auxiliary aides and services will be provided and reasonable modifications to policies and programs will be made. To request accommodations or for more information please contact the Office of General Counsel at gc@ksde.org or by 785-296-3201.