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.

According to the School Safety Task Force website, “this report is a product of Arizona’s first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force—a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health, and violence. This report covers the work of the Task Force’s five objectives (referenced below) and includes resources and details about the process of the Task Force’s work.”

Legislative Recommendations:

Outlined within the School Safety Task Force Final Report are legislative recommendations to be considered future legislative sessions, including:

• Provide sustainable funding for the ADE to provide ongoing training on the determinants of the model school safety plan. 
• Repeal legislation prohibiting the statewide collection of school disciplinary data. 
• Provide sustainable funding for the ADE for a full-time position to establish a vetting process for resources and to create and keep current a clearinghouse of resources on its website. 
• Provide sustainable funding to create and implement a statewide tip line for public and charter schools.

In late 2022, the U.S. Department of Education announced nearly $1 billion in awards through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). In Arizona, the Stronger Connections grants aim to provide students with safe and supportive learning opportunities and environments critical for academic success. Arizona was awarded $19,785,580 through this program.

Through the BSCA, Congress awarded $1 billion in funding to state educational agencies (SEAs) to develop state grant programs to give students safer and healthier learning environments. The BSCA specifies that SEAs must award these funds competitively to high-need LEAs, as determined by the state.

This grant focuses on helping schools foster sustained learning, engagement, and attachment for students in Arizona schools. The Stronger Connections Grant Program mandates that schools should accomplish this by becoming more resilient, supporting mental health, and improving school climate.

According to the Department of Education, schools should spend Stronger Connections Grant Program funds to: 

• Implement evidence-based strategies that meet students’ social, emotional, and mental well-being needs. 
• Create positive, inclusive, and supportive school environments.
• Increase access to place-based interventions and services.
• Engage students, families, educators, staff, and community organizations in selecting and implementing strategies to create safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments. 
• Design and implement policies and practices responsive to underserved students, protecting student rights, and demonstrating respect for student dignity and potential. 

Spending that qualifies for funding could include hiring counselors and nurses, providing teacher training on inclusion and behavioral interventions, expanding mental and behavioral services, and other related efforts to create a positive and supportive climate in Arizona schools.

As part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds were made available to address the pandemic’s impact on student safety and mental well-being. As of June 30, 2022, Arizona has spent 30% of the funds awarded to the state.

For the first round of ESSER grants, Arizona was allocated $277,422,944. The deadline to obligate those funds was Sept. 30, 2022. 

The Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act was passed in 2020. As part of the act, Arizona’s ESSER II allocation was $1,149,715,947, and it must be obligated by Sept. 30, 2023. 

An additional round of funding was made available as part of the American Rescue Plan. Arizona’s portion of those ESSER funds is $2,583,943,517, and the obligation deadline is Sept. 30, 2024. 

The U.S. Department of Justice oversees the COPS School Violence Prevention Program. The money is earmarked for evidence-based school safety programs and technology.

Schools can use those funds to purchase school safety technology that helps identify potential dangers. The money can also be used to improve emergency notification and response systems. To learn more, visit the COPS website.

The U.S. Department of Justice also has funds available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. BJA’s STOP School Violence Program funds software that helps K-12 schools maintain a safe environment. It’s geared toward recognizing, responding to, and preventing violence on campus. Learn more here.

The list of federal grants awarded to Arizona for the 2022-23 school year includes:

• IDEA ARP: $45,865,367
• IDEA: $289,798,643
• Title I: $758,287,273
• Title IV-A: $24,786,468