School Safety

Education news, analysis, and opinion about keeping students safe in the school building from bullying, violence, and environmental hazards, among other things

Explainer

Greeley Police Officer Steve Brown stands in the hallway during passing periods at Northridge High School in Greeley, Colo. on Oct. 21, 2016. While school resource officers, like Brown, are expected to handle responsibilities like any police officer they're faced with unique challenges working day-to-day in schools
School Resource Officers (SROs), Explained
Does the presence of armed officers prevent school violence? Do they contribute for Black children to the 'school to prison pipeline'?
Learn More
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens to members of the Principal Recovery Network during their annual meeting on June 9, 2025, in Washington, D.C.
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon listens to members of the Principal Recovery Network during their annual meeting on June 9, 2025, in Washington.
Courtesy of Allyssa Hynes/NASSP
Education Funding Principals Urge Ed. Department: Leave School Safety Funding Alone
Schools need access to funds for mental health professionals and other student services, say principals who've experienced school shootings.
Olina Banerji, June 13, 2025
•
5 min read
Tightly cropped photo of a mother or teacher holding holding a young elementary school boy's hands as they sit on school steps, offering comfort and support. The boy is wearing a bookbag.
E+
School & District Management From Our Research Center What Schools Do When Parents Don't Pick Up Their Kids
What schools do when parents don't pick up their kids can vary considerably, according to a new survey by the EdWeek Research Center.
Arianna Prothero, May 23, 2025
•
3 min read
Image of two school buildings with cones, cameras.
Collage by Liz Yap for Education Week via Canva
School Choice & Charters Then & Now The Trump Admin. Is Reviving This School Choice Option You've Never Heard Of
A little-known provision allows students to transfer out of schools deemed "persistently dangerous." Choice advocates say it's been underused.
Evie Blad, May 21, 2025
•
8 min read
Pictures of the Week North America Photo Gallery 23236807597084
Melissa Alvarez hugs her son, Ignacio, then 2, during a special session of the state legislature on public safety on Aug. 23, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn., following a deadly school shooting that March. New research drawing on scores of studies identifies some of the most important steps schools can take to stop violence on their campuses.
George Walker IV/AP
School Climate & Safety What Makes Schools Safe? Researchers Outline These 4 Key Recommendations
Researchers distilled dozens of studies to create practical school safety recommendations.
Evie Blad, May 7, 2025
•
5 min read
School Climate & Safety Spotlight Spotlight on Enhancing School Safety and Emergency Response
This Spotlight will help you explore proactive measures and effective strategies for enhancing school safety and emergency response.
April 22, 2025
Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
School Climate & Safety Leading a District After a School Shooting Is Hard. These Superintendents Want to Help
A network of superintendents who've led districts after school shootings plans to support colleagues recovering from similar crises.
Evie Blad, March 18, 2025
•
4 min read
Illustration of Covid-19 impacting 3 years of school
Vanessa Solis/Education Week and Getty Images
School & District Management Infographic 9 Charts That Show the Lasting Effects of COVID on Schools
Key data on some of the move consequential changes, five years later.
Maya Riser-Kositsky, March 18, 2025
•
3 min read
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa.
Local residents pray during a candlelight vigil following a shooting at Perry High School, on Jan. 4, 2024, in Perry, Iowa. The deaths in school shootings last year have led to new legislation in a half-dozen states.
Charlie Neibergall/AP
School Climate & Safety States Emphasize School Violence Prevention, Not Just Security
In the wake of school shootings in their states last year, legislators hope to avert future tragedies.
Evie Blad, February 14, 2025
•
7 min read
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on March 6, 2021.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks at a news conference at the Capitol in Washington on March 6, 2021. He has criticized the Trump Administration's move in January 2025 to nix a school safety panel created by federal legisation.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Federal Schumer Tells Trump to Immediately Reinstate School Safety Board
Trump must immediately reinstate a federal school safety board, Schumer demanded.
Evie Blad, January 27, 2025
•
2 min read
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington.
Donald Trump speaks at meeting of the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. He returned to the White House this week, taking a flurry of executive actions, some of which could affect schools.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Here Are Trump's First-Week Actions That Could Affect Schools
There's been a lot to keep track of during Trump's first week back in the White House. Here's how it all could affect schools.
Brooke Schultz, January 24, 2025
•
8 min read
Image of a school hallway with icons representing lockdowns, SRO, metal detectors.
via Canva
Federal Trump Admin. Axes Newly Created School Safety Board
The Trump administration disbanded a board that advises agencies on school safety strategies. Members include parents of school shooting victims.
Evie Blad, January 23, 2025
•
4 min read
Sign indicating school zone.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Tracker School Shootings This Year: How Many and Where
Education Week is tracking K-12 school shootings in 2025 with injuries or deaths. See the number of incidents and where they occurred.
January 22, 2025
•
3 min read
Illustration of dark tunnel with figure at end.
francescoch/Getty
School Climate & Safety Opinion 'Get Out of the Building Now': A Teacher Reflects on Violence
A bomb threat brings home to a veteran educator why schools and teachers matter.
Adam Patric Miller, December 18, 2024
•
3 min read
Emergency vehicles are parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where multiple injuries were reported following a shooting, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.
Emergency vehicles parked outside the Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., where policy said a teenage student shot and killed a teacher and a classmate and injured several others on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024.
Scott Bauer/AP
School Climate & Safety Teacher and Teen Student Killed in Wisconsin School Shooting
At least six others were injured in what is the 39th school shooting of 2024 in which someone was killed or hurt.
Olina Banerji, December 16, 2024
•
5 min read
Load More ▼