The Educator’s School Safety Network partners with colleges and universities to offer School Safety 101, a fully developed, education-focused school safety and violence prevention module with training units that can be used as a pre-service gateway before clinical experiences and internships, or integrated into existing preparation courses.
By completing the on-demand, self-paced content units in School Safety 101, candidates acquire critical knowledge and skills related to violence prevention, school climate and culture, and school-based crisis response.
School Safety 101 modules are available for teacher and administrator preparation programs
School Safety 101 - For Pre-Service Teachers can be incorporated into your teacher preparation program, or utilize School Safety 101 - For Pre-Service School Leaders to add a leadership lens to the school safety skills and content for your principal licensure candidates.
STEP 1 – Participants complete School Safety 101 to acquire an Initial Certificate.
School Safety 101 - On demand, self-paced online training
Increasing your candidates’ school safety professional capabilities begins with School Safety 101, an asynchronous collection of learning units that are offered online and on-demand. The content, instruction and assessments are housed entirely on a third-party learning management system (LMS), not the university’s LMS. Participants self-enroll and gain immediate access by paying an instructional fee comparable to buying a textbook. Your candidates then complete training units on a schedule determined by your organization.
In the six units that comprise School Safety 101, students acquire content and skills related to:
Assessing risks and vulnerabilities
Strategic supervision
Visitor screening and engagement
Access control
Communication planning
Crisis response protocols including active shooter response
Your candidates complete School Safety 101 independently within a time frame set by your institution and receive a certificate of completion automatically through the LMS. Any CEUs or course credit is implemented by your institution.
STEP 2 – Build on the foundation of School Safety 101 with further certification options
The School Safety 101 Initial Certificate establishes a baseline level of competency in safety and violence prevention. Your organization may want your candidates to acquire a higher level of knowledge through the acquisition of an Intermediate or Advanced Certificate.
After completing the on-line portion of the module, your institution has the option for candidates to expand and apply their knowledge through participation in face to face or virtual class meetings to share their field work and reflection activities.
School safety 101 is aligned to the National Educational Leadership Preparation (NELP) standards which are used to review educational leadership programs through the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. (CAEP) The NELP standards were developed by the National Policy Board for Educational Administration.
A look at School Safety 101 units:
Thinking Differently About School Safety
To make our schools safe, educators must expand their thinking and perceptions about school safety beyond active shooter response to include a comprehensive, all hazards, education-focused approach to school safety issues.
Assessing Risks and Vulnerabilities
Many vulnerabilities, hazards, and threats exist in a school setting. Explore the difference between man-made, natural, and technological hazards and discuss how vulnerability assessments can identify and mitigate risks.
Prevention & Preparation: The Building Blocks of School Safety
School safety is not just about response. Planning and preparing for the inevitable crisis event and working to prevent violence requires knowledge and capabilities in the critical building blocks of school safety:
Increasing Student Disclosures – Violence prevention and student support require authentic disclosures from students.
Strategic Supervision and Student Support - An engaged and approachable teaching and administrative staff is critical for student supervision, building positive relationships, and improving school climate.
Visitor Screening and Engagement – Effectively screening and engaging with visitors is a powerful violence prevention measure.
Tools of the Trade – Violence prevention and crisis preparation are enhanced when the right tools are used in daily operations.
Access Control – Providing appropriate levels of access control is crucial in mitigating threats and preventing violence.
Communication Concerns – Timely and effective communication to internal and external stakeholders is central for effective preparation.
Effective Crisis Response
School stakeholders must know how to effectively implement all hazards response procedures when crisis events occur, including best practices in active shooter response.
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How to use School Safety 101 at your institution
The School Safety 101 module is designed to complement various touchpoints in your students’ journey to completion. Here are a few options you might consider…
Incorporate School Safety 101 into an existing course…
The School Safety 101 module can be incorporated as an activity or unit in an existing program course. Courses that focus on school culture, student behavior management and support, organizational systems, educational policy, or daily operations would be an especially good fit. Instructors can use some or all of the School Safety 101 Workbook as a course assignment or assessment, and as a practical application of critical skills.
Require the completion of School Safety 101 as a Gateway…
To avoid curriculum revisions or disrupting existing program courses, the School Safety 101 module can be completed as part of the required content of program gateways - perhaps at a mid-point or prior to culminating experiences such as internships or capstones. Assessments and completion requirements are documented within the external learning management system. There is no need for grading or review from your institution as students submit a completion certificate.
Prepare students for field experiences with School Safety 101…
School Safety 101 can provide critical content and skills as students enter school-based field experiences and internships. When students complete the module at the entry point of field work, your institution can ensure they have the school safety skills necessary to successfully complete these culminating experiences.
Provide additional professional development with School Safety 101…
Set your preparation program apart from the rest by offering additional professional development and skill building to both preservice candidates and your program completers. School Safety 101 can be offered as optional training to boost the marketability and expertise of your program completers.