About this Guide
As youth mental health concerns continue to rise in Michigan1, a preventative approach to school safety gives all students the opportunity to feel safe, welcomed, supported, and empowered. The following strategies may be helpful as you prepare for students to return to school.
Free Support Available
If you have questions or would like help planning, implementing, or evaluating school safety strategies, our team is here to support you. Reach out today to set up an introductory meeting with one of our school safety specialists to explore how we can best assist your school or district.
Use Bullying Prevention Programs
Learn more about programs designed to reduce bullying in schools through Michigan’s Bullying Prevention Initiative or National Center for School Safety’s resources, such as the Key Considerations for Bullying Prevention guide or the recorded webinar, Bullying Prevention and Preparedness Modeling.
Encourage Reporting with OK2SAY
OK2SAY is a confidential reporting system intended to help prevent violence in schools. It provides a way for school community members to report concerns about mental health or potential threats.2 Michigan schools can schedule a free OK2SAY student safety presentation. The National Center for School Safety’s recorded webinar, Getting Buy-In for Anonymous Reporting Systems, offers guidance on successful implementation
Teach Social and Emotional Learning
Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs are designed for grades PreK-12 and focus on teaching students to manage their emotions, build healthy relationships, and develop other important social skills for success in school and life3. Michigan Cares is a 3-12 grade SEL curriculum that is free to all schools. You can also check out the Michigan Department of Education’s guide, Early Childhood to Grade 12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Competencies and Indicators.
Implement Restorative Practices
Restorative practices provide schools with a different approach to discipline, focusing on repairing harm rather than punishment. 4To learn more, explore the Michigan Department of Education’s toolkit on Alternatives to Suspensions and Expulsions, or the National Center for School Safety’s guide, Restorative Practices at a Glance.
Assemble a Behavioral Threat Assessment & Management Team
Behavioral threat assessment & management (BTAM) teams consist of a multidisciplinary group of individuals whose purpose is to identify, assess, and provide interventions to students who pose or may pose a threat of violence.5 New Michigan policy requires schools to have BTAM teams starting in October 2026. For guidance, refer to the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety’s webpage, Michigan K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management, and the National Center for School Safety’s School Threat Assessment Toolkit.
Engage in Trauma-Informed Practices
Trauma-informed practices recognize that students may have experienced past trauma and foster safe school environments where students feel valued and supported.6 To learn more visit Michigan’s Trauma-Informed System for Children and their Families, the National Center for School Safety’s self-paced course, Trauma-Informed Resilience-Oriented Classrooms, or the University of Michigan’s Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices for Schools website.
Contributors
- Sarah Taylor (Instructional Designer, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
- Cassandra Johnson (School Safety Outreach Specialist, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
- Cindi Thronson (Project Manager, Michigan School Safety Initiative)
- Carolyn Seiger (Instructional Designer, National Center for School Safety)
References
- Youth Online: High School YRBS – Michigan 2021 Results | DASH | CDC. (n.d.). https://nccd.cdc.gov/Youthonline/App/Results.aspx?LID=MI ↩︎
- Messman, E., Heinze, J., Hsieh, H. F., Hockley, N., Pomerantz, N., Grodzinski, A., Scott, B., Goldstein, N., & Zimmerman, M. (2024). Anonymous Reporting Systems for School-Based Violence Prevention: A Systematic Review. Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 51(1), 62–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981211073734 ↩︎
- What is Social-Emotional Learning? (2024). Committee for Children. https://www.cfchildren.org/what-is-social-emotional-learning/ ↩︎
- Restorative Practices in Schools Designing for Equity. (2024). Restorative Practices in Schools Designing for Equity. https://www.nextgenlearning.org/equity-toolkit/school-culture ↩︎
- Threat Assessment and Reporting. (n.d.). SchoolSafety.Gov. https://www.schoolsafety.gov/threat-assessment-and-reporting ↩︎
- Trauma-Informed Practices. (2023). Trauma-Informed Practices. https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/traum a-informed-practices Contributors ↩︎