School Safety: Laws and Policy

Advocacy for physical safety planning, social–emotional learning, mental health support, and trauma-informed care within the school system will assist with ensuring that the needs of students with communication disorders are represented in school policies and practices.

Federal Legislation

The website SchoolSafety.gov was developed and maintained collaboratively by the U.S. departments of Education, Justice, Homeland Security, and Health & Human Services. It provides information on tools and resources, including grant opportunities, that support school safety from all of these agencies.

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act's (ESSA) Section 4631 authorizes "national activities for school safety," including Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) grants. These and other school safety–related programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Supportive Schools. Additionally, each local education agency (i.e., school district) is required to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive programs and activities to support safe and healthy students (ESSA § 4801).

Federal law does not currently require individual schools or local education agencies (i.e., school districts) to meet or implement specific school safety requirements or plans. However, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) found that over 90% of schools [PDF] had emergency plans in place to cover situations including natural disasters, active shooters, bomb threats or incidents, and suicide threats or incidents.

For questions on school safety laws and policies contact Eric Masten, ASHA Director of Federal Affairs in Education, at emasten@asha.org, or Bill Knudsen, ASHA Director of Education Policy, at bknudsen@asha.org.