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  • Dashboards
    • Georgia School Closures | COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
    • School Climate | Overview
    • School Climate | Comparison Schools
    • District Financial Information
    • Georgia Milestones
    • Teacher Pipeline & Endorsements
    • Literacy
  • About
  • Whole Child
    • Healthy
    • Safe
    • Engaged
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Safe

Home > Whole Child Toolkit > Safe
Each student learns in an environment that is physically and emotionally safe for students and adults
  • School Climate
  • School Safety
  • Student Safety
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School Climate

What is School Climate?
School Climate is the experience of school life that reflects norms, goals, values, social interactions, access, engagement, connections, teaching and learning practices, building quality, safety, and organizational practices.

​For information please visit the GaDOE Office of School Safety and Climate.
RESEARCH & DATA
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School Connectedness: Strategies for Increasing Protective Factors Among Youth. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2009
  • Georgia Student Health Survey
  • School Climate Improvement Resource Package
  • US ED - School Climate and Discipline (new federal guidelines)
​​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
LEVERAGING FUNDS
Federal Funds:
  • ​​Selecting Interventions: Allowable Federal Funding- School Climate​
​​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
  • School Climate Star Rating
  • ​Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

​​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
pARTNERS IN THE WORK
  • Association for Positive Behavior Support (APBS)
  • Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
  • Florida PBIS Project
  • Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
  • Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support (GAPBS)
  • Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL)
  • Georgia Department of Public Health
  • Get Georgia Reading Campaign
  • Midwest PBIS Network
  • National Dropout Prevention Center
  • Northwest PBIS Network
  • PBIS Apps
  • PBIS OSEP Technical Assistance Center
  • U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Students​
​​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
  • ​GaDOE School Climate webpage
  • Georgia Student Health Survey
  • School Climate Star Rating Dashboard
  • Parent and Educator Guide to School Climate Resources
  • PBIS Apps​
  • National School Climate Center
​​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
SCHOOL/DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES
Coming soon!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • Classroom PBIS Webinars
  • International Conference on Positive Behavior Support
  • Learning Climate Videos
  • National PBIS Leadership Forum
  • PBIS in the Classroom Modules
  • Professional Standards Commission PBIS Certification
    • Georgia College and State University
    • Georgia Southern University
    • Middle Georgia RESA
    • Northwest Georgia RESA
  • School-Wide PBIS Webinars
  • Student Attendance and School Climate Committee​ 
  • Using Federal Funds to Support PBIS Webinar​​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager or Jason Byars, Program Manager.
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School Safety

What is School Safety?
Being prepared to respond to a severe weather, mass casualty or other catastrophic event is vital to school safety. However, we also need to keep our schools safe from other risks such as violence, bullying, and cyber threats.

​For information please visit the GaDOE Office of School Safety and Climate.
rESEARCH & DATA
  • Georgia Student Health Survey
  • Protecting America's Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence​
  • School Resource Officers, School Law Enforcement Units, and FERPA​
  • School Safety Plans Law (O.C.G.A. Section 20-2-1185)
  • Steinburg, Allensworth and Johnson
  • Task Force on Carbon Monoxide Detectors for Schools Final Report​
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
LEVERAGING FUNDS
Federal Funds:
  • ​​Selecting Interventions: Allowable Federal Funding- School Safety​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.​
PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
  • SchoolSafety.gov
  • School Safety Hotline​
  • School Safety Resource Center
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
pARTNERS IN THE WORK
  • Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
  • ​Georgia Emergency Management & Homeland Security Agency School Safety Unit
  • Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center (GBI-GISAC)​
  • National School Safety Center (U.S. Department of Education)
  • National School Safety Alliance (Council of Chief State School Officers)
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
  • Best Practice Considerations for Schools in Active Shooter and Other Armed Assailant Drills​ 
  • Cyber Safety Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts​
  • Cyber Security Considerations for K-12 Schools and School Districts
  • GaDOE School Safety Resource Center
  • Preparing for Floods at K-12 Schools and School Districts​
  • Safety Precautions for Portable Classrooms​
  • School Design Tools
  • School Safety Checklist
  • Site Assessment Tools​
  • Voluntary Guidelines for Carbon Monoxide Detectors for New and Existing Schools
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
SCHOOL/DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES
Coming Soon!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • Annual Safety In Our Schools Conference​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
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Student Safety

​What is Student Safety and Well-Being?
Safe and supportive schools are one of the most important protective factors for students. By identifying and reducing barriers to learning, particularly risk factors and risk behaviors, schools can help to maximize educational and social outcomes for all students.

​For information please visit the GaDOE Office of School Safety and Climate.
RESEARCH & DATA
  • ​CDC Health Advisory: Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products​
  • DPH Identifies Second Vaping-Related Death​ (Georgia Department of Public Health)
  • Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
  • Georgia's Child Sexual Abuse & Exploitation Prevention Technical Assistance Resource Guide (TARG)​
  • Georgia Department of Public Health Drug Surveillance Unit
  • Georgia Student Health Survey
  • Health Advisory: Imminent Health Risks of Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping Devices​ (Georgia Department of Public Health)
  • Health Advisory: Imminent Health Risks of Electronic Cigarettes and Vaping Devices - SPANISH​ (Georgia Department of Public Health)
  • Health Alert: Severe Pulmonary Disease Among People Who Reported Vaping​ (Georgia Department of Public Health)
  • NIDA: Preventing Drug Use among Children and Adolescents (In Brief)
  • OASIS (Online Analytical Statistical Information System)
  • State Board Rule 160-4-2-.12: Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Program Plan
  • Stats of the States​ (CDC data for each state on births, causes of death, and other state data)​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
LEVERAGING FUNDS
Federal Funds:
  • Selecting Interventions: Allowable Federal Funding- Student Safety and Well-Being​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.​
PROGRAMS & INITIATIVES
  • ​Sources of Strength (multi-agency initiative: GaDOE, DBHDD, DFCS)​
  • Suicide Prevention Training and Resources​
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
PARTNERS IN THE WORK
  • Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
  • Department of Public Health
    • DPH Sexual Violence Prevention Program
      • Step Up. Step In. (SUSI) is a social marketing campaign about sexual bullying which targets students and staff of middle and high schools. Understanding what sexual bullying is and how to stop it has been a successful contribution to creation of healthy school climates. 
  • Division of Family and Children Services
  • Office of the Child Advocate
  • Office of the Attorney General
  • Prevent Child Abuse Georgia
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
TOOLS & RESOURCES
  • ​About Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes) ​
  • Child Abuse & Neglect Resources (CDC)
  • Child Abuse Prevention Required Handouts
  • Child Abuse Prevention Resource Manual
  • Child Abuse Prevention Video
  • E-Cigarettes: Information for Parents, Educators, & Health Care Workers (CDC)
  • E-Cigarettes: Information from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
  • E-Cigarettes: Talk to Youth About the Risks​
  • ​Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Prevention
  • Human Trafficking Prevention/Intervention Toolkit​
  • Mandated Reporter Poster​​​
  • Mandated Reporter Poster (Spanish)​
  • Reporting Abuse Poster for Students (Elementary)
  • Reporting Abuse Poster for Students (Middle/High School)​
  • ​Resources for Preventing Poisonings Among Children and Youth From Electronic Cigarettes​ (Children's Safety Network)
  • School E-Cigarette Toolkit​ (Georgia Department of Public Health)
  • School E-Cigarette Toolkit (Minnesota Department of Health)
  • Student Safety and Well-Being Resource
  • ​Signals: Social-Emotional and Mental Health Development for Children and Teens - Interactive Webinar Series ​
  • Talk with Your Teen About E-Cigarettes: A Tip Sheet for Parents
  • The Facts on E-Cigarette Use Among Youth and Young Adults
  • The Social Determinants of Adolescent Drug Use
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse​
​For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
SCHOOL/DISTRICT BEST PRACTICES
Coming Soon!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
  • Addiction Policy Forum​ (provides free online courses to learn the basics of addiction)
  • Child Abuse and Neglect: Online Training for Educators and Volunteers​
  • ​"Georgia's Children in Crisis" Public Service Announcements: 
    • 30 second PSA 
    • 45 second PSA  ​​
    • 60 second PSA 
    • 90 second PSA
    • Long Peer-to-Peer PSA (17 minutes, 27 seconds)
      • ​*PSAs were produced by Voices for Georgia's Children​ and members of the Georgia Suicide Prevention Taskforce.​​
  • NIDA For Teens: Drug Use and the Brain
  • "The Signs" Teen Dating Violence PSA​
  • Youth Suicide Prevention Video for Adults​
For additional information, please email Cheryl Benefield, Program Manager.
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An initiative of the Georgia Department of Education.
Richard Woods, State School Superintendent

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