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School Safety Updates

State Charter School Board

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Agenda

  • School Safety Updates

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  • School Safety Grant Updates

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  • School Threat Updates

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  • Resources

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School Safety Updates

H.B. 140 Standard Response Protocol

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  • Requires public secondary and elementary schools to use a standard response protocol as a response to threats in schools.

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School Safety Grant Updates

H.B. 61 School Safety Requirements

During the 2023 General Session, appropriated $75 million towards two different grants to aid in school safety efforts. $72 million was allocated to the School Safety and Support Grant and $3 million was allocated to the Firearm Detection Software.

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  • School Safety and Support Grant
    • Opened in June and closed on September 15, 2023

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  • School Safety Specialist Stipend Grant
    • Currently open and will close November 12, 2023

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School Threat Updates

What is swatting?

Swatting is the action or practice of making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

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What should schools know about swatting?

  • Hard to detect where the threat is coming from
  • There is not currently a means of stopping these threats or information on where they are coming from

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What should schools do about swatting?

  • Ensure the building has a way to directly route the threat to the right authorities from schools
  • Report every incident
  • Emergency Response Plan in Place

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Key Themes

Communication

Transparency

Accountability

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Best Practices

Emergency Response Plan in place, shared, and practiced regularly

Standard Operating Protocols

Debrief after each active threat

Effective communication between LEA and law enforcement agencies/SRO

Adequate practice of drills in all areas of the schools and during varied time periods that are tailored to the school climate and developmentally appropriate

Have resources and talking points prepared ahead of time

Multidisciplinary teams

Report all incidents to local law enforcement

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USBE Resources

  • Active Threat Response Resource Sheet
    • Emergency Preparedness Planning Guide
    • The Utah School Safety Framework
    • Student Threat Assessment Model Policy
    • Standard Response Protocol
    • Healing Our Schools After Loss
    • Model Staff Letter
    • Talking to Children About Violence
    • Returning to a school after Crisis
    • USBE Safe and Healthy Schools Team

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