Safe and Supportive Schools
The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office for Safe Schools coordinates school safety and security programs, collects the annual school violence statistics, coordinates antiviolence efforts, and develops policies and strategies to combat school violence.
The office supports and provides technical assistance, professional development programs, and security-related activities to support school safety in the following areas: crisis intervention, school police training, violence prevention, social/emotional wellness, and safety. Pennsylvania Department of Education - Safe Schools 
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The resources highlighted below reflect relevance to classroom teachers. Note that each topic includes many more related resources.
- Add Act 126 Content Item
- Act 126
- Act 126 General Information
- ACT 126 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) leads to file
- Act 126 Course Providers
- Act 126 Approved Course List opens in new window
- Items Required for Course Approval leads to file
- Add Bullying Prevention Content Item
- Bullying Prevention
- The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Office for Safe Schools bullying prevention webpage contains resources for parents, educators, and professionals serving children and youth in school and out-of-school settings.
- Bullying Prevention opens in new window
- Bullying Prevention Toolkit opens in new window
- Best Practices in Bullying Prevention and Intervention opens in new window
- Bullying and Harassment of Students with Disabilities opens in new window
- Add Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills Content Item
- Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills
- The Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills (PA CRS) are social emotional learning progressions that support the development of student competence. By design, the PA CRS reflect priorities to ensure youth are career ready and prepared to meet the demands of the 21st century workforce. The PA CRS are grouped into three domains.
- Pennsylvania Career Ready Skills opens in new window
- Add Equity and Inclusion Content Item
- Equity and Inclusion
- A healthy and safe environment can help students thrive, and every student, regardless of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression should be provided the opportunity to learn – free from discrimination, fear, or harassment.
- Self-Awareness: School and District Resources opens in new window
- Equity and Inclusion opens in new window
- Equity Toolkit opens in new window
- Add Mental Health Content Item
- Mental Health
- Mental health in childhood includes reaching developmental and emotional milestones, as well as learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems. Mental health disorders in children and adolescents are described as serious changes in the way children typically learn, behave, or handle their emotions, causing distress and problems getting through the day. It is estimated that approximately 30% of school aged children will experience a behavioral, mental, or developmental condition in any given year.
- Mental Health opens in new window
- Act 71- Suicide Prevention and Awareness opens in new window
- SEL Best Practice Resources opens in new window
- Trauma opens in new window
- Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators opens in new window
- Grief and Loss opens in new window
- Add School Climate Content Item
- School Climate
- School climate refers to the quality and character of school life, and is based on patterns of student, parent, and staff experiences and perceptions of school life. It also reflects norms, goals, values, interpersonal relationships, teaching and learning practices, and organizational structures, according to the National School Climate Center. These pages provide resources that were compiled to assist schools with improving school climate, and are organized to be in alignment with a team-driven process that addresses climate as a component of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), or overall school improvement.
- The National School Climate Center opens in new window
- Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) opens in new window
- School Climate Improvement Process opens in new window
- Add SEL Best Practices Content Item
- SEL Best Practices
- These pages provide a resource guide of best practices in Social Emotional Learning (SEL) programs, curricula, and supplemental materials. What’s included is not exhaustive of available resources, nor does inclusion indicate endorsement by PDE. Information is provided to give school teams a starting point for addressing and implementing an SEL program in their schools.
- Curriculum opens in new window
- Program and/or Supplement opens in new window
- Schoolwide Programs opens in new window
- Add Family/Community Engagement Content Item
- Family/Community Engagement
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As an educational community seeks to examine its strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to equity throughout, it is critical to involve the family and the local community. The student body is representative and a part of the surrounding community, and thus their families and communities have direct interest in the practices of their children's school.
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Family/Community Engagement
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