Two ongoing areas of priority for K-12 education are student performance and academic recovery, and rightfully so. Recent research from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and the Education Recovery Scorecard shows that student achievement gaps continue to widen, specifically impacting reading and math performance.
This happens in parallel with unprecedentedly low teacher retention and recruitment. Since the pandemic, schools have experienced a dramatic decrease in qualified teaching professionals. Research from NCES revealed that 86% of US K-12 public schools reported challenges in hiring teachers for the 2023-24 school year.
Unfortunately, one crucial issue that has significantly impacted teacher retention, and therefore student learning, is the increase in school violence. Scared kids can’t learn, and scared educators can’t teach.
The Cost of Safety Is Immeasurable
A 2024 national survey found that nearly 85% of educators believe that school safety directly impacts student achievement, and 45% have considered leaving or have left their jobs due to feeling unsafe.
Safety impacts the bottom line. On average, larger school districts can spend nearly $25,000 replacing a single teacher. As districts begin budgeting for the 2025-2026 school year, it’s important that they look beyond costs when it comes to safety. Creating a safe and secure school environment significantly outweighs the cost of having to replace teachers and the subsequent impact their departures have on students.
For the upcoming school year, districts should consider implementing a layered safety plan with features and procedures that make it easy to identify, notify, and respond to a safety incident whether major or minor. Layered safety can include safety measures from discrete communication tools to real-time digital campus asset mapping, audiovisual notifications, and reunification capabilities. With these types of technologies and safety precautions implemented in a multi-faceted approach, teachers are more likely to feel supported by their district, which can lead to a ripple effect on their quality of teaching and student learning.
When defining, implementing, and practicing safety plans and protocols, districts must include the perspective of their teachers. These perspectives are critical when creating a robust safety plan that’s effective for everyday incidents and works within the flow of a typical school day.
Additionally, it’s imperative to provide staff with training on how to manage incidents or emergencies that may arise. When schools have standardized responses—such as emergency operations plans (EOPs) and safety protocols like the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) or the Incident Command System (ICS)—teachers and administrators feel prepared and confident handling emergency situations.
Lastly, knowing how to properly and quickly de-escalate a situation can save lives. Making it easy, seamless, and immediate for a staff member to call for help—whether only a few emergency personnel are needed or a campus-wide lockdown is initiated—is critical for success. Forty-eight percent of educators have shared that when an incident occurs, their ability to get immediate help from administrators, nurses, school resource officers (SROs), or emergency specialists is the most important determinant of a positive outcome.
Looking Ahead in K-12
With recent news regarding the U.S. Department of Education, it is possible that states will become solely responsible for identifying and implementing best practices, resources, and funding for school safety. While safety continues to be a priority for state legislators, school safety laws, such as Alyssa’s Law, implemented in seven states and introduced in another 14, provide funding and resources to help school districts mitigate the costs of implementing robust layered safety solutions. Districts should always be on the pulse of efforts such as this and understand the resources available to them.
By understanding available safety and support options and putting teachers at the forefront of safety plans, districts can make informed decisions and invest in tools that will positively impact not just the schools and teachers, but the students themselves.
Dr. Roderick Sams is chief development officer at CENTEGIX, a school safety technology company.
NOTE: The views expressed by guest bloggers and contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, Campus Safety.
