By Lori Alhadeff Founder, Make Our Schools Safe Collective impact matters deeply to Make Our Schools Safe because school safety cannot be achieved by one person, one organization, or one solution. It requires all of us working together with a shared purpose: protecting students and ensuring that every child can
By Ken Wertz Executive Director National School Plant Management Association (NSPMA) At the National School Plant Management Association (NSPMA), we believe providing a safe and healthy environment for students and staff is one of the most important responsibilities of school facilities, maintenance, and operations professionals. Our members across the country
By Jeff Vincent Director National Center on School Infrastructure At the National Center on School Infrastructure (NCSI), we start from a simple premise: the school building is not simply a backdrop to education; it is foundational for learning and teaching. The condition of a school's roof, HVAC system,
By Dr. Lewis A. Eakins, PhD, CPP Board of Directors, ZeroNow ZeroNow was founded on a single conviction: harmful events in our schools can be brought to zero, but no one organization, discipline, or sector can get there alone. From our beginning, we have brought together people who do not
By Guy Bliesner Board President, National Council of School Safety Directors At the National Council of School Safety Directors (NCSSD), our role is to advocate for and support the people who implement safety and security measures in our schools every day. We are keenly aware that the measures we take
Strengthening Security, Safety, Trust, and Continuity in the Modern Education Environment Schools are increasingly reliant on digital systems to deliver instruction, manage operations, and safeguard sensitive student information. Cyber threats such as ransomware, data breaches, account compromise, and social engineering continue to escalate across the education sector. Establishing a foundational
Prevent harm
In schools across the nation, the line between safety and well-being is increasingly blurred. Student mental health concerns are not isolated—they are often early indicators of a larger risk trajectory. Whether it’s self-harm or school violence, the warning signs are almost always there. But the challenge
By Garry McGiboney, Ph.D. Health Security Dynamics Across the nation, schools are searching for ways to improve student outcomes while simultaneously addressing increasing concerns about mental health, school climate, student behavior, and school safety. In response to these challenges, educational leaders in collaboration with emergency management leaders have increasingly
What every student deserves, and every parent and educator should expect. By ZeroNow Advisory Council Members The guidance on effective practice for school security is a bit all over the place. Most often, lacking clear direction on what should be the first considerations. With each new incident, the available recommendations
A Collective Impact Journal
By Jill Lemond Evolv Technologies During this time of significant division, it can feel hard to find common ground in our communities. Truthfully, thoughtful dialogue and peaceful engagement can be challenging to find within our own families and circles of friends. We all have our beliefs and our experiences shaping
A ZeroNow Position Paper. There are generally accepted, highly effective foundational physical security tools that should be available to school staff and students and should be required as a part of every school’s basic security profile. First, securable space at two levels, the building envelope and at the classroom
School bus transportation is the first and last touchpoint for millions of students each day. Bus drivers are more than operators of vehicles; they are frontline safety leaders, culture builders, and early detectors of risk. This white paper explores how training, organizational culture, effective communication, and reporting mechanisms create a
School safety is more than a checklist of physical measures—it’s a living, breathing culture that reflects the values and behaviors of everyone in the school community. Across recent ZeroNow conversations with school administrators, safety directors, and educational leaders, a key theme emerged: the need to move away from
A Zero-In Insights Article. A Collective Approach to Planning, Prevention, and Preparedness School sporting and special events bring people together - students, families, and entire communities. These gatherings celebrate teamwork and pride, yet they also create complex safety challenges that require deliberate planning, coordination, and awareness. This Zero-In Insights
Safety is not a feature that can be bolted onto schools after construction. It must be planned, designed, and operationally integrated from the start. As threats evolve and communities change, school facilities must support not only learning but resilience, communication, visibility, and rapid response. This white paper outlines how school
School safety is no longer defined by a single product, policy, or response plan. Effective protection of students, staff, and communities requires a layered, integrated approach that aligns people, processes, and technology around clearly understood risks. Drawing from a national superintendent roundtable and an expert panel of school security practitioners,
A Collective Approach to Activation, Coordination, and Communication Having an emergency plan is not the same as being prepared to execute one. Across school districts of every size, the gap between a well-written document and a well-run response remains one of the most persistent challenges in school safety.
Physical security tools available to a school are only as successful as the processes to effectively implement them. There are basic operational processes that are indispensable to a worthwhile school security posture. Utilizing a multi-disciplinary safety team based in a continual improvement model, is a critical need for an
A Collective Approach to Activation, Coordination, and Communication Graduation is one of the most meaningful events in a school community — a celebration of years of effort, growth, and achievement. It is also one of the most complex large-scale events a school district manages each year. Thousands of attendees, unfamiliar
