Center for Safe Schools (CSS) offers a variety of resources to support your school, organization and community.
Emergency Management Resources
Emergency Management
Click on your state for Safety and Emergency Management Information
Disaster Distress Helpline– National crisis helpline
Disaster Preparedness and Response from National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans
The Standard Response Protocol (SRP) by I Love You Guys Foundation
Preparedness Guides
Building Youth Preparedness and School Safety Capacity by Integrating Educational Initiatives
Fire Drills, School Security Drills, and School Bus Evacuations
Ready.gov– website for preparedness
Recovery From Large-Scale Crises: Guidelines for Crisis Teams and Administrators
Rocket Rules for PreK through 3rd – website with free program/videos
The Role Of Districts In Developing High-quality School Emergency Operation Plans: At a Glance
Safety Readiness Tool– survey for schools to discover their safety readiness
Research/Best Practices
Active Shooter Drills: Guide & Resource (April 2020)
Family Reunification Guide– PDF of best practices for schools
Protecting Our Future: Partnering to Safeguard K–12 organizations from Cybersecurity Threats report – CISA
School Safety After the Bell Rings – PDF article by Joey Melvin published in the Winter 2023 of Pennsylvania Administrator
School Safety Drills and Exercises for Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Tips and Resources for Educators
Summary of Resources for State, Local, Tribal, Territorial, and Campus Law Enforcement Partners– PDF from DHS
Training
CPR Programs for Schools– through the Red Cross
Emergency Evacuations: Planning For The Whole School Community – Recorded Webinar
FEMA Incident Command System 100-free training
FEMA Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for School– free training
REMS Technical Assistance Center – provides trainings on emergency management topics with certificates
Reunification Exercise from I Love You Guys Foundation
Ten Minute Tabletop – website with ideas on different topics for tabletop themes for schools
Funding Opportunities Resources
Pennsylvania Legislation Resources
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Clearinghouse
July 2024 Updated Act 55 FAQs (PDF)
PCCD School Safety and Security Assessment Criteria Toolkit – Learn more about Act 44 assessments guidelines
Please visit our legislation page for excerpts from key school safety legislation.
Crisis Resources
Free Service to help take down your online under 18 Sexually explicit photos
Helping School-Age Children with Traumatic Grief: Tips for Caregivers
Helping Students After a Disaster
Helping Youth after Community Trauma: Tips for Educators
Leadership Communication: ANTICIPATING AND RESPONDING TO STRESSFUL EVENTS
National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement
National Association of School Psychologists – School Safety and Crisis resources and podcasts
Sample letter temples for death notification
Mental Health Resources
aevidum– I’ve got your back. Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Program resources
#Bethe1To – Safety Plan information
Family Digital Wellness – free resources to help families talk to their children about being a good digital citizen
Information on Teacher Mental Health – 2022 pdf with resources
Me & My Emotions – free lessons for 13+
Mental Health First Aid – training program
Mental Health kits – free kits for gamers that educators order for students or staff
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline Call or text 1-833-943-5746 (1-833-9-HELP4MOMS)
PROQOL– free Professional Quality of life tool to help rate burnout, available digital and printout
Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach – Updated 2023 resource from SAMHSA
Providing Psychological First Aid: Teachers – training
Safe Spaces: Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practices for Educational and Care Settings – free training in English and Spanish
School Mental Health report card – 2025 report that looks at each state and compares policies
Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health
Toolkit: Trauma-Informed Workplaces
Trauma ScreenTime – courses to learn how to screen children for trauma
Understanding Racial Trauma Among Asian Americans: Recorded Webinar
We Are Not Invisible: Protecting Latina Mental Health in Schools: Recorded Webinar
Youth Violence Prevention Resources
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children – Different training options from in-person to online
National Crime Prevention Council
Safe2Say Something -Pennsylvania reporting system
Safe Dates– Evidence-based Teen dating violence program
Safer Schools Clearinghouse Resource Library
SAVE Promise Club – Youth lead school clubs to create safer schools and communities
Start with Hello – Sandy Hook Promise Program
Talking with Your Child’s School About Preventing and Addressing School Violence
School Safety and Climate Resources
Climate
CDC School Employee Wellness Resources
Center on PBIS – Resources on tier one intervention
Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates – link to a pdf
NASP School Climate, Safety and CrisisReport on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021
School Climate and Student Discipline Resources – US Department of Ed
SAVE Promise Club– Learn more about starting a club in your school
Start with Hello– Free program from Sandy Hook Promise
Thinking Differently About Time for K- grade 9 – thought-provoking whitepaper from the National Center on Education and the Economy
Thinking Differently About Time, Part 2: High School
Cyber and Online Safety
Center for Humane Technology– Youth toolkit for school districts and educators
Considerations for Social Media Monitoring and Response– examples of implementing social media monitoring systems
Cyber Safety Video Series– Tips on how to stay safe online
Digital Futures Initiatives-Resources for educators and parents on creating good digital citizens
FBI’s Safe Online Surfing Internet Challenge to Launch for 2023 – 2024 School Year
CSS’ National Bullying Prevention Month Toolkit with social media posts
Without my Consent – Tools to fight online harassment
Safety
K-12 School Security Guide Companion for School-Based Law Enforcement and School Resource Officers
National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO)
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
Podcast: What is the Role of a School Resource Officer? Part 1
School Resource Officer Video Series
Smokeless Saturday -Vaping intervention program (PA only)
Strengthening School-Parent Partnerships for Enhanced Safety – Podcast
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Resources
Advancing Policy Initiatives That Promote Student Social, Emotional and Mental Well-being – webinar
Co-Regulation and Connection: The Crucial Role of Adults in Children’s Self-Regulation – webinar
Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging from PA Office of Safe Schools
Mindful Minutes YouTube Series
Motivating Youth and Building Skills for Life: Implementing SEL in Out-of-school Time – webinar
Threat Assessment Management Tools Resources
An exploration of K–12 school shooting threats in the United States – Sept 2023 study
Assessing and Responding to Anonymous Threats of Violence in the K-12 Environment – CISA webinar
CISA Vulnerability Scanning– cyber assessment
Essential Elements of School Threat Assessment webinar
Maryland Center for School Safety Tabletop Exercises (TTX)
National Threat Evaluation and Reporting (NTER) Office’s Behavioral Threat Assessment Integration
Overview of the Comprehensive Threat Assessment Guidelines – CSTAG
Pennsylvania Threat Assessment Guidelines
2nd Edition of PCCD’s Model K-12 Threat Assessment Procedures & Guidelines (updated in 2022)
PCCD Threat Assessment Case Management Form (available as Word and PDF documents, and aligned with the model procedures/guidelines)
- Video Module – “Introduction to School-based Threat Assessment in PA”
- Guidance on Communication and Information on Confidentiality
Podcast: Recognizing Red Flags
Threats of Violence by Students in Special Education – journal article
What if Wednesdays – short tabletop exercises available to be used
School Targeted Violence Resources
Download the final report from the Oxford High School Shooting incident – webpage to download pdf
Reporters uncover overlooked red flags after a Tennessee school shooting – interview
Recommended Book Resources
CSS recommended book resources for bullying prevention, digital safety, emergency operation planning, personal preparedness, school climate, social-emotional learning, teacher (for kids) and threat assessment.