- NCEF - Safe Schools
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Safe School Facilities
This information on protecting school occupants, buildings, and grounds is coordinated with the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of the U.S. Department of Education.

Safe School Facilities Checklist

NCEF provides a free checklist that combines the nation's best school facility assessment measures into one online source for assessing the safety and security of school buildings and grounds. It includes over 400 measures covering school surroundings, school grounds, buildings and facilities, communications systems, building access control and surveillance, utility systems, mechanical systems, and emergency power. The checklist is updated frequently and may be used for planning and designing new facilities or assessing existing ones.


NCEF Publications on School Safety and Security

Mitigating Hazards in School Facilities. Guidance for making school safety and security assessments and for planning, funding, and implementing safety and security improvements. Includes 25 downloadable, subject-specific assessment guides.

Low-Cost Security Measures for School Facilities. Fifty school safety and security measures that may be implemented at little or no cost and without the use of complex technology.

School Security Technologies. Current information on access control, surveillance, weapons detection, communications, alarm, and emergency notification system technologies.

Emergency Response Information for School Facilities. Information needed for managing school buildings, grounds, occupants, and rescue and recovery personnel during and after a crisis.

Door Locking Options in Schools.. School door locking options and the limitations imposed on them by building and fire codes.

An Investigation of Best Practices for Evacuating and Sheltering Individuals with Special Needs and Disabilities. Response to the June 2007 General Accountability Office report GAO-07-609 concerning evacuating and sheltering students with special needs and disabilities.

Safe School News

Recent articles about safe and healthy school facilities from newspapers across the country:

China Vows Safer Schools in Earthquake-Prone Areas
Insurance Journal/Associated Press, July 07, 2008

Massachusetts Colleges Slow on Security Efforts
Boston Globe, June 26, 2008

Elementaries to Get Video Surveillance
IndyStar.com, June 25, 2008

Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies Launch National School Safety Study
SourceSecurity.com, June 25, 2008

Children Will Be Kept Safe During School Construction Project
Norwich Bulletin, June 23, 2008

  Safe School Events

Upcoming conferences and workshops on school safety and security:

39th Annual School Safety Conference
July 14, 2008 - July 16, 2008
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Basic Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) Seminar
October 06, 2008 - October 10, 2008
Louisville, Kentucky

2008 Safe and Secure Schools: Superintendents Lead the Way
October 08, 2008 - October 10, 2008
Chicago, Illinois

  Safe School Publications

Key publications on safe school facilities:

Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities.
U.S. Department of Education, 2007

Educational Facilities Disaster and Crisis Management Guidebook.
Florida Dept. of Education, Tallahassee, 2007

Security Design Considerations for Instructional Facilities.
Texas State University, San Marcos, 2006

Safe and Healthy School Environments.
Oxford University Press, New York, 2006

Security Planning and Design: A Guide for Architects and Building Design Professionals.
John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, New Jersey, 2005

Design Guide for Improving School Safety in Earthquakes, Floods, and High Winds.
Federal Emergency Management Administration, 2004

Jane's Safe Schools Planning Guide for All Hazards.
Jane's Information Group, Alexandria, VA., 2004

Primer to Design Safe School Projects in Case of Terrorist Attacks.
Federal Emergency Management Administration, 2003

Safe School Design: A Handbook for Educational Leaders Applying CPTED
ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, 2000

  Safe School Journal Articles

Recent magazine and journal articles about safe school facilities:

Fire Systems Go Hand in Hand with Human Factors.
Buildings, June 2008

Sounding the Alarm.
The Construction Specifier, June 2008

A Practical Guide to Access Control and Security.
The Construction Specifier, June 2008

Staying Ahead: Building a Culture of Preparedness.
School Business Affairs, June 2008

  Safe School Resource Lists

NCEF lists of continuously updated links, books, and journal articles on safe school facilities topics:

Access Control Systems in School Buildings

Assessing Flood- and Wind-Damaged Schools

Campus Safety and Security

CPTED for Schools: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design

Disaster Preparedness for Schools

Fire Safety in Schools

Safety and Security Assessment of School Facilities

Safety and Security Design for Schools

School Preparedness for Natural Disasters

School Preparedness for Terrorism

State and Local School Emergency Planning Guides