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School safety and security measures

Question:
What safety and security measures are used in America's public schools?

Response:

Schools use a variety of practices and procedures to promote the safety of students, faculty, and staff. The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) collects data on school safety and security practices by asking public school principals about their school’s use of safety and security measures,1 as well as whether their school had written procedures for responding to selected scenarios and whether it had emergency drills for students. SSOCS also asked schools about the presence of security staff and the availability of trainings for classroom teachers or aides on school safety and discipline provided by the school or school district.

The use of certain safety and security measures in public schools has become more prevalent over time. Between 2009–10 and 2019–20,2 the percentage of public schools reporting the use of the following safety and security measures increased: controlling access to school buildings (from 92 to 97 percent), using security cameras (from 61 to 91 percent), and requiring faculty and staff to wear badges or picture IDs (from 63 to 77 percent). The percentage of public schools that reported requiring students to wear badges or picture IDs was also higher in 2019–20 than in 2009–10 (10 vs. 7 percent), although there was no consistent pattern of change throughout the period. However, there were no measurable differences between 2009–10 and 2019–20 in the percentages of public schools that reported using random sweeps for contraband,3 requiring school uniforms, or using random metal detector checks on students.

Public schools’ use of various safety and security measures differed by school characteristics during the 2019–20 school year. For example, greater percentages of elementary schools and middle schools than of secondary/high schools reported a requirement that faculty and staff wear badges or picture IDs (83 and 78 percent vs. 65 percent), as well as a requirement that students wear uniforms (21 and 18 percent vs. 12 percent; not shown in the figure).4 In contrast, greater percentages of secondary/high schools and middle schools than of elementary schools reported the use of security cameras to monitor the school (97 and 94 percent vs. 88 percent), the use of random sweeps for contraband (66 and 48 percent vs. 8 percent), a requirement that students wear badges or picture IDs (21 and 19 percent vs. 4 percent), and the use of random metal detector checks (15 and 10 percent vs. 2 percent).


Percentage of public schools that used selected safety and security measures: School years 2009–10, 2017–18, and 2019–20

The data in this figure are described in the surrounding text.

! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 and 50 percent.
1 Prior to 2017–18, the examples of controlled access to buildings included only "locked or monitored doors" and did not include loading docks.
2 The 2017–18 and 2019–20 questionnaires included only a single item about random sweeps for contraband, and they provided locker checks and dog sniffs as examples of types of sweeps. Prior to 2017–18, the questionnaire included one item about dog sniffs for drugs, followed by a separate item about sweeps not including dog sniffs. For years prior to 2017–18, schools are treated as using random sweeps for contraband if they answered "yes" to either or both of these items; each school is counted only once, even if it answered "yes" to both items.
3 The coronavirus pandemic affected the 2019–20 data collection activities, while the change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by SSOCS. Readers should use caution when comparing 2019–20 estimates with those from earlier years. For more information, see Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019–20: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety (NCES 2022–029).

NOTE: Responses were provided by the principal or the person most knowledgeable about crime and safety issues at the school.


1 In this Fast Fact, data for 2013–14 were collected using Fast Response Survey System (FRSS), while data for all other years were collected using SSOCS. The 2013–14 FRSS survey was designed to allow comparisons with SSOCS data. However, the mode of the 2013–14 FRSS survey differed from that of SSOCS, which evolved over time. Specifically, all respondents to the 2013–14 survey could choose either to complete the survey on paper (and mail it back) or to complete the survey online. All respondents to SSOCS had only the option of completing a paper survey prior to 2017–18. In 2017–18, SSOCS experimented with offering an online option to some respondents. In 2019–20, SSOCS switched to using primarily an online survey instrument. The 2013–14 FRSS survey also relied on a smaller sample than SSOCS. The FRSS survey's smaller sample size and difference in survey administration may have impacted the 2013–14 results.
2 The coronavirus pandemic affected the 2019–20 data collection activities. The change to virtual schooling and the adjusted school year may have impacted the data collected by the School Survey on Crime and Safety. Readers should use caution when comparing 2019–20 estimates with those from earlier years. For more information, see Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools in 2019–20: Findings From the School Survey on Crime and Safety (NCES 2022–029).
3 The 2017–18 and 2019–20 questionnaires included only a single item about random sweeps for contraband, and they provided locker checks and dog sniffs as examples of types of sweeps. Prior to 2017–18, the questionnaire included one item about dog sniffs for drugs, followed by a separate item about sweeps not including dog sniffs. For years prior to 2017–18, schools are treated as using random sweeps for contraband if they answered “yes” to either or both of these items; each school is counted only once, even if it answered “yes” to both items.
4 Elementary schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades K through 4 than in higher grades. Middle schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 5 through 8 than in higher or lower grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that enroll students in more of grades 9 through 12 than in lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools.

SOURCE: National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Safety and Security Practices at Public Schools. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved June 28, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a19.

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