Returning to School Safely - School Safety Considerations for the 2021-2022 School Year

Oct 15, 2026

Guide for school boards and educators on planning a safe, supportive return for the 2021–2022 school year after prolonged disruption from COVID-19. Addresses how pandemic-era challenges intensified preexisting safety risks and why a shift from “survival” to a comprehensive all-hazards approach is necessary. Examines priorities such as threat assessment, crisis response, school culture and climate, and legal perspectives, along with roles for relevant safety networks and additional resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Role of School Boards in Returning to Schools Safely

School Culture and Climate

All–Hazards Approach to Safety Planning

Threat Assessment Management

Legal Perspectives

About The Educator’s School Safety Network

About The National School Board Association

Additional Resources

Returning to School Safely: School Safety Considerations for the 2021-2022 School Year A collaboration between NSBA’s Center for Safe Schools and the Educator’s School Safety Network Table of Contents Introduction................................................................................................................................. 1 The Role of School Boards in Returning to Schools Safely .......................................................4 School Culture and Climate ........................................................................................................6 All–Hazards Approach to Safety Planning ............................................................................... 13 Threat Assessment Management............................................................................................. 19 Legal Perspectives ....................................................................................................................25 About The Educator’s School Safety Network ........................................................................32 About The National School Board Association ...................................................................... 34 Additional Resources ................................................................................................................35 iii © 2021 National School Boards Association, All Rights Reserved. Introduction Education in a Post–Pandemic America: The Crisis After the Crisis or a Shared Opportunity? As we emerge from a global pandemic, teachers, administrators, parents, and students are reeling from a year of virtual school, public health emergencies, civil unrest, increasing violence, social isolation, and family trauma. The events of 2020 have taken a toll on academics, social–emotional learning, and most importantly, on safety – but not just in a public health sense. The next looming crisis? Since March of 2020, educational communities have largely been in survival mode with little attention, time, or resources allocated to the ongoing work of school safety and violence prevention. Now we are facing a return to “business as usual” in the 2021–22 school year, but what exactly is “normal” now? The brutal reality is that the events and circumstances of the past year have not erased but rather exacerbated the safety concerns that existed before the pandemic. The need to provide appropriate support and interventions for students at risk for violence against themselves or others has never been greater. Unfortunately, too often, the commitment, professional development, and funding necessary to effectively implement school safety procedures (such as threat assessment, crisis response, and violence prevention) simply are not present in most schools right now. Schools must be able to walk and chew gum at the same time – recover from the public health crisis and prevent a future school safety crisis. This is the troubling but vital question that every educator and parent must address: What school safety practices have been overlooked while we were busy dealing with COVID? Schools must now transition from “survival” mode into “the next thing” – which must include an all–hazards approach to violence prevention and safety. At what point is the cure worse than the disease? While children are at low risk for serious COVID complications, there have been significant increases in other threats to children’s well–being during the pandemic and beyond, including increased anxiety and isolation, dramatic spikes in youth suicide, and steep decreases in academic achievement. Returning to School Safely 1 © 2021 National School Boards Association, All Rights Reserved. 2 © 2021 School Boards Association, Politics and personal preferences aside, schools must, and will, reopen in the fall of 2021. What remains to be seen is how effectively we can reestablish positive relationships, rebuild public t

FAQs

为什么需要在2021-2022学年重新思考“安全返校”？

因为疫情期间的虚拟教学与社会压力不仅造成学业和社会情感影响，也强化了疫情前就存在的安全隐患。文中强调需要从“survival”模式转向更系统的安全与暴力预防。

返校规划不能只关注“恢复常态”的原因是什么？

文中指出公共卫生、情绪、经济与学业层面的影响不会自动消失。过去有效的做法在现实中可能不再可行、有效或适切。

资源将重点讨论哪些学校安全相关内容？

资源将审视2021–22学年成功返校所需的关键组成部分，涉及威胁评估管理、学校文化与氛围、全风险（all–hazards）安全规划以及法律视角等。

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Riley West