ArizonaSchool Safety Standards

School Safety Legislation & Resources

Arizona School Safety Program

The Arizona School Safety Program is a competitive, state-funded grant focusing on safety in schools that runs in three-year cycles. Per Arizona Revised Statute 15-154, “the School Safety Program is established within the department of education to support, promote and enhance safe and effective learning environments for all students by supporting the costs of placing school resource officers (SRO), juvenile probation officers (JPO), school counselors and school social workers on school campuses.” Arizona public schools and charters are eligible to apply.

Using robust prevention and intervention approaches, officers funded by the School Safety Program:

• Maintain a visible presence on campus.
• Deter delinquent and violent behaviors.
• Serve as an available resource to the school community.
• Provides students and staff with Law-Related Education instruction and training.

These efforts result in positive, engaging relationships between officers and students, staff, and other community members they serve. Programs like these that are proactive and prevention-based are cultivated through partnerships based in collaboration between officers, school administration, teachers, and police and juvenile probation departments.

School Safety Program Goals and Objectives

Goal: The School Safety Program contributes to an orderly, purposeful atmosphere, which promotes the feeling of safety conducive to teaching and learning. Goal objectives:

• Staff feels that the school is safe, and administration supports and monitors the consistency of actions/strategies/policies that will improve or maintain that feeling of safety.
• Students feel that the school is safe. They feel free from the threat of physical harm and verbal abuse. They feel they have an adult to go to with their safety concerns, and they feel their concerns are taken seriously and addressed.
• Staff and students have a positive view of the SRO/JPO.

Goal: To teach Law-Related Education that promotes a safe, orderly environment, and good citizenship. Goal objectives:

• The Arizona State Board of Education oversees the process to ensure the continuous review and provision of instructional materials that promote a safe, orderly environment, and good citizenship
• Officers conduct 180 hours of Law-Related Education instruction per year.
• Officers annually attend an Oversight Committee approved Law-Related Education academy/class to enhance their classroom skills and knowledge of appropriate LRE lessons.

Learn more about the School Safety Program and how to obtain funding for your school here.

Title IV-A Safe and Healthy Students Program

It is the goal of the Title IV-A Safe and Healthy Students program to provide support to LEAs and schools across Arizona so all students can experience a healthy, safe, and supportive learning environment, one that focuses on the physical and mental health and well-being of students.

According to the program’s website, “a safe, healthy, and supportive school environment is the product of a school’s attention to fostering safety; promoting a supportive academic, disciplinary, and physical environment; and encouraging and maintaining respectful, trusting, and caring relationships throughout the school community, focusing on the fostering of positive conditions, climate, and culture, including family and community engagement.”

Learn more about the program by visiting the program website.

Arizona Schools Emergency Response Plan Requirements

According to the Arizona Department of Education, “Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) 15-341 (A) (31) requires each school site to have an emergency operations plan (EOP) that meets the minimum state requirements. The Arizona Department of Education (ADE) and the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs, Division of Emergency Management (AZDEMA) are for developing the minimum standards for school emergency operations plans in Arizona.”

To help schools meet the requirements, the Arizona Dept. of Ed. compiled the Arizona Schools Emergency Response Plan Minimum Requirements guidance document, which details the required elements to be included in every schools’s emergency response plan. The standards are simply a minimum of what should be included in the plan and not a systematic guide for completing a comprehensive response plan.

Explore the guidance document here.

CENTEGIX Safety Report 2026 School Safety Trends:
Clarity in Crisis - Replacing Uncertainty with Coordinated Response

Built from more than 346,000 wearable panic button alerts collected during the 2025–2026 school year, the 2026 School Safety Trends Report provides a comprehensive look at how K-12 schools are improving emergency response, strengthening preparedness, and enhancing campus safety nationwide through clarity.

Download your copy today.

Get the Report