Key Links

ESSER School Health and Safety Grants FY20-21 (new)
School Safety Assessment Provider Registry (Updated 2/25/2021)
School Safety Provider Registry Guide (PDF)
School Security Guard Vendor Registration (Updated 3/17/2021)
School Security Personnel Training
Threat Assessment

Overview

Article XIII-B (School Safety and Security) of the Public School Code of 1949 created the School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) within PCCD.  The SSSC was tasked with developing the criteria school entities are to use in performing school safety and security assessments, issuing a survey to school entities to measure school safety and security preparedness, and administering grants.  Recent amendments by Act 18 of 2019, Act 67 of 2019, and Act 30 of 2020 included the development of a model trauma-informed approach plan; model trainings for threat assessment teams; set training requirements for school resource officers (SROs), school police officers (SPOs) and school security guards; and created a grant program for school entities to address COVID-19.

Overviews of Act 44 of 2018 (pdf) and Act 18 of 2019, which created and amended Article XIII-B, are available.  A joint guidance issued by both the PA Department of Education and PCCD is available for more information about the training requirements of Act 67.  If you have any questions, please submit them to RA-CD-SSSC@pa.gov.   

School Safety and Security Grant Program Information

Due to the unprecedented impact of COVID-19, Act 30 of 2020 set aside funding for school entities (i.e., school districts, , area career and technical schools, intermediate units, charter schools, regional charter schools and cyber charter schools) for COVID-19 Disaster Emergency School Health and Safety Grants.  The FY20-21 funding announcement and additional information specific to this funding can be found at the top of this page under Key Links.

Grant Guides are immediately available for assistance with the application process and general grant administration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) will also be available to provide additional information for potential applicants.

Community Violence Prevention/Reduction Grant Program

24 P.S. §13-1306-B(i) allows for a portion of the school safety and security funding to be set-aside annually to support community violence prevention/reduction grants.  Eligible entities that can apply for this funding are municipalities (including counties), institutions of higher education, and community organizations.  Funding announcements are usually released in September, with awards being made prior to March 1 of each year.  The most recent round of awards was announced at the February 24, 2021 SSSC meeting.  To receive notification for when these solicitations are released, please sign up for PCCD email notification HERE.

New for Schools! – Baseline Criteria

On February 24, 2021, the SSSC was presented with "Baseline Criteria" guidance that schools can use to guide their decisions about physical security and behavioral health needs.  For over the past year, the Baseline Criteria Workgroup under the SSSC has worked to develop these criteria, which organize safety and security-related equipment, trainings, policies, programs and activities into a tiered structure (i.e., from Tier 1, which would be the most basic element, to Tier 3, the most advanced).  The tiered guide serves as a resource schools can reference to help determine their level of need.  The Physical and Behavioral Health criteria (see links below) have been designed with enough flexibility to meet the unique needs and varied requirements of all schools in the state.   If you have any questions or comments regarding the Baseline Criteria, please email RA-CD-SSSC@pa.gov. 

Behavioral Health Baseline Criteria 

Physical Security Baseline Criteria 

School Safety and Security Assessment Criteria

The School Safety and Security Assessment Criteria Toolkit is a compilation of best practices and recommendations as developed by experts on the SSSC and additional workgroup members. 

School Safety Assessment Provider Registry

On September 26, 2018, the SSSC adopted criteria for the registration of individuals with knowledge and experience in matters of school safety and security that qualifies a person to conduct assessments based upon the Committee's adopted assessment criteria (Registration Criteria). 

If you are interested in applying to be included on the provider registry, please visit our School Safety Provider Registry webpage to submit your initial application for consideration by the Committee.

If you are a school entity interested in locating an approved provider, use our Provider Registry.

School Safety Provider Registry Guide (PDF)

Training for School Resource Officers, School Police Officers and School Security Guards

On November 27, 2019, Article XIII-C of the Pennsylvania School Code was amended through Act 91 of 2019 requiring all school security personnel take the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) Basic School Resource Officer Course or an equivalent course as determined by PCCD.  More information on what the law entails can be found on PDEs website. 

For more information on the School Security Personnel trainings, go to: School Security Personnel Training.

Model Trauma-Informed Approach Plan

Act 18 of 2019 amended Article XIII-B to require any school entity applying for a School Safety and Security grant under 24 P.S. §13-1306-B(j)(21) (i.e., trauma-informed approaches to education) to utilize a Model Trauma-Informed Approach Plan adopted by the SSSC.  Applicants may utilize their own existing plan, provided it meets the SSSC's Model Plan criteria, or may seek funding to support the development of their own plan.  A link to the Model Plan and additional resources can be found HERE.