SAFE & SECURE SCHOOLS

The Center for Safe and Secure Schools was created in 1999 in response to a request by superintendents of schools in Harris County. The Center was tasked with the mission of supporting school district's efforts to have safe and secure learning environments where teachers could teach and students had the opportunity to learn.

Image of Virtual School Safety Forum flyer for 2020, links to registration webpage.

If you are looking to improve your own school safety, increase awareness on updated school safety related to COVID-19, infuse social justice principles into school and system wide policy decisions and gain awareness of secure tactics to secure online learning, then this School Safety Forum is for you. A collaboration by the Center for Safe and Secure Schools (CSSS) and the Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO), this year’s School Safety Forum will be held virtually for the first time. Check out the registration page for more information.

About Safe & Secure Schools

Harris County Department of Education’s Center for Safe and Secure Schools (CSSS) was established in 1999 at the request of school superintendents to advance safe and secure environments for learning and teaching. CSSS partners with federal, state and local entities to take the lead in the development of increased safety and security strategies, standards and best practices for K-12 school environments for both students and educators. CSSS continually seeks new and innovative opportunities to build safer and more secure learning environments.

The need we address:

Criteria for Standards and Promising Practices
Emergency Management Planning and Operations
Communications, Coordination and Business Continuity
Training and Certification Programs
Assessments, Reviews and Audits
Safe and Secure Learning and Teaching Environment
Climate and culture are the undertow of schools and directly influence student belonging, teacher morale, parental involvement, and school safety