Kentucky Center for School Safety

KCSS thanks all who are participating in the online Healthy Habits Safety Pledge across Kentucky:

Click Here to Take the Healthy Habits Safety Pledge
Click Here to Check Your County's Statistics

500-999 Pledges: Monroe County
250-499 Pledges: Cumberland County, LaRue County
50-249 Pledges: Graves County/Mayfield Independent, Gallatin County, Lewis County, Carlisle County, Webster County, Trigg County, Lincoln County, Ballard County, McLean County, Carroll County, Barren County/Glasgow Independent/Caverna Independent, Floyd County, Logan County/Russellville Independent, Clinton County, Marshall County, Union County

• Kentucky Center for School Safety Announces Threat Assessment Training for School-based Threat Assessment teams. Download PDF for more information
• Trauma Informed Practices for Educators and School Personnel.. Download PDF for more information

Cabinet for Health and Family Services: The official Team Kentucky source for information concerning COVID-19

Kentucky Department of Education: COVID-19 Updates and Information for P-12 Education

Plan, prepare, and respond to coronavirus disease

• Operating schools during COVID-19: CDC's Considerations
• Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
• FAQs for Administrators
• Checklist for Teachers, Parents, and Administrators
• Talking With Children About Coronavirus Disease
• EPA’s Registered Antimicrobial Products for Use Against Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the Cause of COVID-19
• Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19

Active Shooter Training Video
The Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) has officially released the Active Shooter Training video as required by Senate Bill 1. Please see the link below to access this required training video. Please be reminded that any staff member (certified, classified or paraprofessional) who will have contact with students must view this video/training. For more information contact Ben Wilcox, School Security Marshal, DOCJT
Click here to view
Click here to read letter from Ben Wilcox

Handle With Care Notification System
Handle With Care (HWC) is the notification system described in the School Safety & Resiliency Act where schools and districts are required to collaborate with law enforcement to create procedures for notification of a student who has been trauma-exposed as part of the plan for implementing a trauma-informed approach in schools. The Kentucky State Police (KSP) have implemented a notification system that is now active statewide. The information below has been provided to us by KSP regarding implementation of the HWC program.
Click here to view

To Kentucky Public School Principals and Assistant Principals:

This document is being presented to principals and assistant principals as a list of reminders for school administrators to consider when addressing current trends and state laws that pertain to school safety practices.

It is not to be construed as a best practices document but rather a quick reference guide of reminders and suggestions.

As always, if you have questions regarding current trends or practices in school safety, feel free
to contact staff members from the Kentucky Center for School Safety at 1-877-805-4277.
Thank you for serving as school-based administrators. You remain the key implementers of all
safety practices in your school.

Best regards,
Jon R. Akers, Executive Director

Download Considerations for Practices in School Safety

Congratulations to all the award and scholarship winners!

Non-Traditional Instruction (NTI) Support Services – Kentucky.gov -  KDE is  providing district staff and teachers with the support and tools necessary for successful in-person, virtual, and blended instruction. This site is intended for use as an on-going and growing resource for educators across the Commonwealth in supporting quality instruction wherever students are learning.

Google Resources: DISTANCE LEARNING STRATEGIES
Save time and engage students with ideas and resources for remote teaching. It also supports teachers, students, and guardians during school closures with distance learning resources.

REMS: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)1: Key Preparedness And Response Considerations:

The Kentucky Attorney General Office offers this Internet Safety Toolkit as a guide to help keep children safe online. The internet and other technologies have drastically changed the way children interact with their world; the internet has become a major part of nearly every aspect of our lives. Today’s children have access to the internet at very young ages; they are comfortable with it and able to interact with it easily.

Bark for Schools - Providing the Tools That Schools Need — Free trial for parents and free all public and private K-12 schools, Bark for Schools includes G Suite and Office 365 student account monitoring, Chrome/Chromebook monitoring, and web content filtering.

FBI Safe Online Surfing - FBI-SOS is a free, fun, and informative program that promotes cyber citizenship by educating students in third to eighth grades on the essentials of online security. Students will learn skills to keep them cyber safe in a game format.

Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Parents - (KCSS) Cyber-bullying can range from rude comments to lies, impersonations, and threats, therefore your responses may depend on the nature and severity of the cyber-bullying.

Cyber-Bullying: Suggestions for Students - (KCSS) What to do if you are Cyber-bullied, How to Prevent being Cyber-bullied, and How to Prevent being a Cyber-bully.

 Cyber-Bullying: Writing Prompts - (KCSS) (From the Ad Council-YouTube videos. Titles hyperlinked below)
- The Kitchen (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
- Talent Show (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
- Bulletin Board (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
- Everyone Knows Your Name (video) Writing Prompt (handout)
- General Writing Prompt (handout)

Digital Awareness for Parents – StopBullying.gov - The digital world is constantly evolving with new social media platforms, apps, and devices, and children and teens are often the first to use them. Some negative things that may occur include cyberbullying, sexting, posting hateful messages or content, and participating in negative group conversations.

Cyberbullying Fact Sheet: Identification, Prevention, and Response – Cyberbullying Research Center - Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W. (2020). A guide to help educators/parents/guardians spot cyberbullying. This fact sheet also addresses how to respond appropriately.

Coronavirus, Online Learning, Social Isolation, and Cyberbullying: How To Support Our Students – Cyberbullying Research Center - The coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm and disrupted so many aspects of our lives. Here are three important considerations… (Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. W.)

Social Networking - Netsmartz - This site provides age-appropriate videos and activities to help teach students to be safer online with the goal of helping them become more aware of potential online risks. NSTeens.org - Videos and resources specifically for teens and tweens.

Smart Social Networking - Cyberbullying Research Center - Fifteen Tips for Teens - Don't let your social media use negatively affect your life, now or in the future. Use these 15 simple steps to safeguard your online reputation.

Facebook, Instagram, and Social - Common Sense Media - Use our social media guide for parents: tips, advice, and the latest research to ... the social media landscape and help keep your kids' online interactions safe. Social Media Rules for Teens and Tweens Video -  Here are five rules to share with kids before they start sharing online.

Snap Chat Handout - (KCSS) This addresses the SnapChat app where messages, photos and videos disappear. It can be fun for teens but there are some pointers and tips to make this app safe for everyone. That Little Ghost Can Haunt You! Be careful... It might seem fun. Easy for anyone to save your snaps and forward them on without you knowing.

Helping Children Cope with Changes Resulting from COVID-19 (NASP) Families across the country are adapting to the evolving changes in daily life caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Most schools and nonessential businesses are closed, and parents and other caregivers are faced with helping their families adjust to the new normal.

Talking With Children About Coronavirus Disease (CDC) Messages for parents, school staff, and others working with children. As public conversations around coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) increase, children may worry about themselves, their family, and friends getting ill with COVID-19.

FREE Hotline...National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
Together, we can create awareness and give emotional support to those who may be contemplating suicide. If you or someone you know is in an emotional distress or suicidal crisis, please call the Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

S.T.O.P.! Tipline - Safe School Reporting Tool (Kentucky Office of Homeland Security) - Use this tip line (or call 1-866-393-6659) to report concerns of any kind, whether it be at home or at school. You may report anonymously, or choose to be contacted. This is a free service for all Kentuckians.

Disaster Distress Helpline - SAMHSA. The Disaster Distress Helpline,   1-800-985-5990 (text Talk WithUs to 66746), is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster. This hotline is toll-free and multilingual.

Eddie Eagle: Parents play a key role in developing safe practices and are ultimately responsible for the behavior and safety of their children.  The goal of the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program is to help you bring up an important safety issue with your child. Available videos, video 1, video 2, video 3

The Be SMART campaign to raise awareness that responsible gun storage – storing guns locked, unloaded and separate from ammunition – can save children’s lives. Be SMART emphasizes that it’s an adult responsibility to keep kids from accessing guns, and that every adult can play a role in keeping kids and communities safer. Resources available. Video available

KCSS is proud to announce the release of the newly revised Emergency Management Resource Guide and Emergency Management Quick Reference Guide:

• Check out our Emergency Procedures page with fillable forms linked from this document and Word documents to make it your own. School safety planning was never simpler!
• Download Emergency Management Resource Guide
• Download Emergency Management Quick Reference Guide