KansasSchool Safety Standards

School Safety Legislation & Resources

Safe and Secure School Standards Bill

Kansas school alert systems are serious business because officials want to do everything possible to support and protect the state’s students, teachers, and staff members. In 2018, the state passed its Safe and Secure School Standards bill. It provided funds to make sure school buildings across the state are safe and secure. That included building secure doors, installing safety windows, and improving the structural integrity of buildings.

The bill also endorsed and funded the use of a variety of Kansas school safety solutions, including:

• Panic buttons
• fire alarms
• Security cameras
• Integrated door locks
• Other intrusion detection systems

Along with the physical upgrades, administrators were advised to work with emergency management officials to review security options. Teachers and staff also needed to be trained in the proper use of any and all technology.

As part of the focus on safety, districts are required to regularly maintain and test communication systems with law enforcement and other first responders, so there will be no disruptions if services are ever needed.

Crisis Plans

All schools in Kansas should have an up-to-date school safety and security plan. Emergency procedures, which are reviewed regularly, include plans to secure buildings during an emergency. Crisis plans also include evacuation routes and reunification sites.

Students are trained each year in how to deal with potential emergencies, and that training is tested during mandated drills to ensure the procedures are working effectively.

All crisis plans are reviewed by law enforcement officials and other emergency management agencies. Kansas school safety solutions must also be submitted to school boards for review and approval.

Legislative Action for Safety

The Kansas Legislature requires school officials to report all incidents of school violence to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. In addition, the Kansas Board of Education created a task force to:

• Assess school safety.
• Develop preventive strategies.
• Create a model policy for school districts to adopt.

The legislature also requires schools to conduct regular active shooter drills and train teachers and administrators on ways to prevent and respond to violence and threats of violence.

School-Based Prevention Strategies

Kansas school safety solutions include Second Step, a program designed to decrease violence and help students build social-emotional competence.

It’s an evidence-based approach that is taught by school staff to all grade levels. According to research, the program decreases the acceptability of violence and increases:

• social-emotional competence
• empathy
• school and community connectedness
• academic achievement

As part of the program, students’ attitudes are surveyed in the fall and again in the spring to determine if and how behaviors, perceptions, and attitudes about bullying and other issues have changed because of the training.

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