2019 Safe Schools Conference – Keeping Our Children Safe: Strategies for Schools and Communities
October 2-3, 2019 | Hilton, Harrisburg, PA
The 2019 Safe Schools Conference will FOCUS ON CREATING A POSITIVE SCHOOL CULTURE complementing physical and emotional readiness. The conference will include state and national experts presenting the LATEST RESEARCH in school safety and youth violence prevention, EFFECTIVE PROGRAM MODELS, PROMISING PRACTICES, NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES and more.
JOIN US. This conference will provide quality professional development opportunities for school administrators, student support personnel, teachers, school nurses, SAP team members, mental health professionals, school resource officers, local law enforcement and other community partners.
Pennsylvania Proclaims October as Bullying Prevention Month
Advocates rally at the Pennsylvania state capitol
On October 15, advocates for bullying prevention gathered at the Pennsylvania state capitol to take a stand for the commonwealth’s 1.7 million students as Governor Wolf proclaimed October as Bullying Prevention Month. Students, parents, teachers, law enforcement, legislators and community partners rallied in support of bullying prevention efforts.
Pennsylvania Bullying Prevention Toolkit
The Center for Safe Schools and the Highmark Foundation proudly announce the launch of the Pennsylvania Bullying Prevention Toolkit, a website that provides centralized, authoritative, easy-to-use information, tools and best practices to help families, schools and communities recognize, understand and prevent bullying and support children affected by it.
This new online toolkit ensures that parents have a fast-track to meeting needs when bullying occurs. It includes specific information about how to differentiate between bullying and conflict, how to respond to cyberbullying and potential legal implications of bullying-type behaviors. It contains a guide for connecting children to relevant assistance, a sample letter informing the school of a bullying incident, and a list of vetted resources on bullying intervention and support.
The toolkit provides valuable information for educators and others working with youth, including health care professionals, coaches and after school staff. It is especially valuable to schools that do not have bullying prevention programs in place and to agencies typically called upon in crisis situations. Related tip-sheets and guides are free and downloadable.
Bullying Prevention Research Symposium Proceedings Paper
Convened by the Center for Safe Schools and the Highmark Foundation, the Bullying Prevention Research Symposium was held in April 2018 to engage stakeholders in reflecting on progress made in Pennsylvania's bullying prevention efforts during the past decade. Representatives from the education, health care and justice sectors, policy-makers, researchers, prevention program providers and grant-makers reviewed recent developments in the field and identified priorities for the future. This proceedings paper summarizes the workgroup discussions, common themes and identifies seven recommendations for advancing bullying prevention in the commonwealth.
A Public Health Approach Demonstrates Positive Outcomes Related to Bullying Prevention
A new report released by the Center for Safe Schools examines the impact of Highmark Foundation funded bullying prevention initiatives. For more than ten years, the Highmark Foundation has worked with community partners to expand and enhance Pennsylvania’s bullying prevention programs, creating the largest and most comprehensive effort to be implemented and studied to date. This work is viewed as a national model for creating changes in school culture.
Press Release | Report
Free Resources Available from the Pennsylvania State Police
The Domestic Security Division of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP) provides free services to assist schools. For technical assistance, other requests or to sign up for active shooter training contact PSP at ra-pspoffdomesticsecurity@pa.gov.
Risk and Vulnerability Assessments
In an effort to keep our schools safe, crime-free environments and to protect them from a terrorist attack, the Center for Safe Schools would like to make all school administrators aware of RISK AND VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS (PDF), an initiative of the Pennsylvania State Police, offered free of charge. Assessments provide comprehensive examinations of physical facilities and operational procedures; identify critical assets, threat potential and vulnerabilities; and offer recommendations to improve security.
