Student and School Safety Under ESSA

Bullying and school violence are education issues, health issues, and social justice issues.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides new opportunities to addresses these critical issues. Thanks to ESSA, local educational agencies can access funds for initiatives that improve academic achievement and student engagement, including protecting student safety. Nonprofit and for-profit entities may be given the opportunity to work with students. 

ESSA School Safety Key Provisions

The law addresses four aspects of creating safe, healthy school climates:

Professional Development: ESSA provides for ongoing professional development for teachers, school leaders, and other personnel carrying out a project.

Accountability: ESSA includes accountability-based programs and activities to enhance school safety, such as research-based bullying prevention and intervention, cyberbullying prevention, disruption of recruitment activity by groups or individuals involved in violent extremism, and gang prevention programs

Collaboration: ESSA requires plans to be developed and implemented in collaboration with local stakeholders. 

Assurances: ESSA requires local educational agencies to provide assurances that students who benefit from activities funded under this part of the law continue to be enrolled in public elementary or secondary schools