Office for Safe Schools coordinates school safety and security programs, collection of the annual school violence statistics, coordination of antiviolence efforts, and development of policies and strategies to combat school violence. The office supports and provides technical assistance and professional development programs in the following areas and security-related activities to support school safety: crisis intervention, school police training, violence prevention, and social/emotional wellness and safety provides services to all local school entities.

ACT 126 – Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting Act

The Pennsylvania Truancy Toolkit provides resources for educators, child welfare professionals and court personnel to effectively address truancy in their local community.

The Truancy Workgroup focuses on developing a truancy report implementation strategy, collaboration with the Juvenile Court Judges Commission to identify truancy laws needing clarification or alteration, engaging the medical community as a valued truancy elimination partner at both the state and local levels, and developing tools communities can utilize to address local truancy concerns. You can find out more at the Office of Children & Families in the Courts - Truancy.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education's Safe Schools Office is pleased to issue this Request for Application (RFA) for school entities to fund programs which address school safety and violence. The purpose of the Safe Schools Targeted Grants is to assist school entities by providing funding, maximum of $15,000, for programs under their comprehensive safe school plans, which include the planning and implementation of activities that prevent or reduce violence by and against youth on school property and/or transportation to and from school.

The grant must be used in accordance with the criteria identified in Act 26 of 1995; as amended the Safe Schools Act, and as indicated in the request for application (RFA), in the following areas:

• Conflict resolution or dispute management.
• Positive behavior support.
• Classroom management.
• Violence prevention and anti-bullying.
• De-escalation and behavior interventions.
• Comprehensive, district-wide school safety.

Grants applications must be submitted via the Pennsylvania e-grant system (http://egrants.ed.state.pa.us/v2/default.asp) and will be awarded on a competitive basis. The deadline for the application is 4:00 PM, Friday, October 26, 2012.

Grant awards are expected to be announced in November 2012. Grant funded activities must be completed by June 30, 2013.

The PDE Safe Schools Office will answer questions and provide technical assistance related to the grant application. Please contact Russell Alves, 717-783-6777 or ralves@pa.gov.

Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis announced that $479,513 has been awarded to 37 public schools through the Safe Schools Targeted Grant to establish and implement programs to prevent and reduce incidents of violence.

The chart below identifies the 37 applicants selected for school year 2012-13 funding, and amounts to be awarded:

Model Dating Violence Policy - Final (PDF)
Model Dating Violence Student Complaint Form (PDF)

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is committed to expanding public knowledge regarding Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and increasing coordination and integration within existing service delivery systems, thereby enhancing the infrastructure needed to persons with TBI and their Families. To learn more about services available for individuals with brain injury and their families, please contact the toll free Brain Injury Help Line at 1-866-412-4755 and speak with a Brain Injury Specialist. Specialists are available from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday.

Traumatic Brain Injury (PA Department of Health Website)
Sports-Related Concussion and Head Injury Fact Sheet and Acknowledgement Form (Word)
Medical Return to Athletic Participation Form (Word)

The General Assembly of Pennsylvania recently passed SB 200, the Safety in Youth Sports Act. The Act establishes standards for managing concussions and traumatic brain injuries to student athletes; assigns duties to the Department of Health and the Department of Education; and imposes penalties.

Summary of the Safety in Youth Sports Act (PDF)

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health's Head Injury Program.

The Department of Health in consultation with the PA School Boards Association, the Department of Education and other key stakeholders is providing information that will serve as the training course for athletic coaches to read and sign in compliance with Act 59.

Sudden Cardiac Arrest (PDF)

For more information, visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health's website.

Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities (PDF)
The U.S. Department of Education has developed this guide to give schools, districts, and communities, the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices (2003)

U.S. Department of Education's Website for Emergency Planning

Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
Published by the U.S. Department of Education, offers research-based practices designed to assist school communities identify these warning signs early and develop prevention, intervention and crisis response plans. The guide includes sections on: Characteristics of a School that is Safe and Responsive to All Children; Early Warning Signs; Getting Help for Troubled Children; Developing a Prevention and Response Plan; Responding to Crisis; Resources; and Methodology, Contributors, and Research Support.

Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Department of Education Collaborative to Help Schools Prepare for Possible Terrorism
Contains information on what should be contained in a comprehensive crisis response plan.

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence (PCADV) is a private nonprofit organization working at the state and national levels to eliminate domestic violence, secure justice for victims, enhance safety for families and communities, and create lasting systems and social change.

PCADV coordinates these efforts with its statewide network of programs, which provides 24-hour emergency hotlines, shelter, counseling, legal advocacy and representation, healthcare-based advocacy, childrens programs, transitional housing and many other free and confidential services.

Training Opportunities

To learn more about training opportunities, please contact Tracy Griffith, Training Institute Manager by email at training@pcadv.org or by phone at 1-800-932-4632 ext. 190. www.pcadv.org

The Pennsylvania Department of Education is committed to the goals of knowing all children by name, ensuring that all children graduate from high school ready for post-secondary education or the workforce, and supporting all children to become productive citizens and life-long learners. To achieve these goals, the entire school community must establish a learning environment where each student has access to high academic expectations and feels safe, accepted, and connected to caring adults and peers.

'School climate', defined by the National School Climate Center, reflects the character and quality of school life, and includes the norms and expectations of the school organization.

The proposed standards consist of two main sets, School Climate Standards and Student Interpersonal Skills Standards. The first set is focused at the local education agency and school-community level. The second set details key student-focused interpersonal skills that all youth need in order to become successful learners and contributing citizens.

The standards will serve as a complementary framework for the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Standards Aligned System, the Wellness/Resiliency Approach, the Response to Intervention and Instruction requirements, and the School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Iinitiative.

These eight draft standards were reviewed by the State Board of Education at the January, 2010 meeting. As part of the regulatory process, the standards will be vetted via state roundtable discussions in June.

Pennsylvania School Climate Standards - Draft (PDF)
Pennsylvania Interpersonal Skills Standards- Draft (PDF)

Center for Social and Emotional Education
Ohio State Department of Education
Collaborative For Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning
Illinois State Board of Education
Chicago Public Schools