SafeSchools Training is being used by thousands of school districts across the nation, including 40 of the 100 largest. These districts have access to a comprehensive library of expert-authored online courses, in addition to the ability to automatically document and track safety and compliance training in one online system. The SafeSchools Training System covers key […]
Describe preparation versus prevention when it comes to a school district’s safety plan. You can only prepare for general incidents; you can’t prepare for the specific. Preparing a safety plan gets everybody on the same page. Whether it’s a bus accident, bomb threat or intruder alert, prevention comes through debriefing after an emergency occurs. You […]
A small but growing number of states are requiring school districts to provide recess. Pending legislation in Massachusetts would require schools to provide at least 20 minutes of daily recess in K5. Trends in the U.S. In Florida and Rhode Island, recess laws took effect this year. Four other states already require it, and 11 […]
The summer break was far from idyllic, marked by demonstrations, marches and even deadly violence across the country. For school leaders, fostering a positive school climate for returning students must be a high priority. In these troubling times, schools must place the highest priority on becoming an oasis of kindness and respect for all of […]
Joseph V. Erardi Jr. served as superintendent of Newtown Public Schools in Connecticut from 2014 until his retirement in August. During his tenure, the district implemented NaviGate Prepared as a component of a broad safety and security initiative undertaken in the aftermath of the 2012 tragedy there. Talk about preparation versus prevention when it comes […]
K12 district leaders are collaborating with entire communities and using new curricula to help combat the opioid crisis sweeping the nation. Middle school students at Norwin School District in Pennsylvania are among the first to pilot a new curriculum that offers a science-based approach to how drugs affect the brain, says Superintendent William Kerr. The […]
The number of young people suffering from depression has increased almost 40 percent in the last three years. And, as the Hamilton Southeastern School District has found, mental health issues are hardly limited to teens. After the city of Fishers, an Indianapolis suburb of about 90,000, had 13 suicides in 2016, city officials launched a […]
Combatting the nation’s opioid crisis is one of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s top priorities. The prevention of opioid misuse is a part of SAMHSA’s Strategic Initiative to Prevent Substance Abuse and Mental Illness. The following is a list of programs: Strategic Prevention Framework Partnerships for Success State and Tribal Initiative […]
The great majority of school violence prevention programs do not work. This is demonstrated by bullying continuing at unprecedented rates. Also, rampage school shootings—which the National Research Council calls a “new and unique violence”—continue to periodically shock the nation. It is critically important to address this violence effectively because schools are crucibles of the future. […]
In March, Netflix premiered 13 Reasons Why. The dramatic depictions and riveting subject matter quickly resulted in Netflix declaring the program its most-viewed show. Extremely troubling to psychology professionals across the nation is that 13 Reasons Why did not highlight the significant role mental illness plays in youth suicide. The show also fails to encourage […]
