As we welcome the month of March, we want to extend our gratitude for your patience and continued support during our transition to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Your dedication to school safety has been invaluable, and we are excited about the opportunities this new chapter will bring in strengthening our shared mission of creating safer learning environments for all students and educators.
March is also a time to celebrate Women’s History Month, a moment to reflect on the remarkable contributions of women who have shaped our communities, schools and society. We honor the trailblazers who have championed safety, education and advocacy, inspiring future generations to lead with courage and compassion.
Thank you to all public school units that applied for 2024-2025 School Safety Grant funding. We have $35 million available with over $80 million in requests from PSUs. The School Safety Grant Review Committee examined each application thoroughly, and recipients have been notified. If you have questions, send an email to CFSS Assistant Director-Physical Safety & Compliance Karen Everett.
With our recent move, we needed to pause trainings in January and February. Our Training Section has released a Training Calendar that includes both online sessions and in-person sessions in our eight regions. Trainings will include School Risk Management Plan, Youth Mental Health First Aid and Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management. If you have questions about upcoming trainings, send an email to CFSS School Safety Training Coordinator Jeffrey Branch.
I encourage everyone to follow the Center for Safer Schools on social media to stay up to date with all the latest happenings.
As we move forward together, we remain committed to collaboration, innovation and unwavering pursuit of safer schools across NC. Thank you for your partnership and trust in this journey.
— Karen W. Fairley
Center for Safer Schools Regional School Safety Specialists Robert Holland, Michael Furse, Donna Hamilton, Jeff Branch and Zahiraakira Sanchez spent January visiting public school units throughout the state and in their designated regions. During the past three months, Regional School Safety Specialists have visited over 100 districts in North Carolina, working on school safety and building partnerships with those responsible for teaching the state’s 1.5 million public school students.
If you are interested in having a Regional School Safety Specialist visit your school, please contact your PSU’s School Safety Director. All of them are eager to talk school safety and to see firsthand the great things you are doing.
Top photo: Center for Safer Schools Lead Regional School Safety Specialist Robert Holland is shown during a tour of Madison Early College High School in Marshall. While visiting schools in the Western Region, Holland had an opportunity to visit with Principal Jennifer Caldwell and discuss school safety.
During a recent visit to ArtSpace Charter School in Swannanoa, Center for Safer Schools Lead Regional School Safety Specialist Robert Holland discussed school safety with Executive Director Dr. Sarena Fuller and her staff.
When it comes to school safety, most people think about fire drills, lockdowns and uniformed officers. But for ArtSpace, nestled in the mountains near Asheville, the safety protocol includes a somewhat more wild issue: bears.
Black bears have been known to wander onto the playgrounds, stroll through the breezeways (one even posed for a picture) and pace the sidewalks, giving students a close-up study of local wildlife.
Every student at ArtSpace is trained in BearWise, a program run by North American bear biologists that teaches how to respond to bear encounters. Students know how to move to secure areas when necessary, keeping the bear fascination at a safe distance.
The school’s response team works closely with animal control, utilizing a mix of noisemakers and brightly colored props to safely encourage the bears to leave campus and return to their natural habitat.
The 2025 National SAVE Promise Club Youth Summit will be held Saturday, April 26 in Philadelphia. This year’s theme is “Pave the Way.”
Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) Promise Club is the youth leadership initiative of Sandy Hook Promise. The annual gathering of SAVE Promise Club youth leaders showcases best practices in preventing violence and helping young people feel connected. The summit is a time for youth voices to be heard in workshops and activities that encourage, educate, engage and empower youth with violence prevention strategies.
Click here for more information and here to register for the National SAVE Summit.
Also, applications are open for the Youth Advisory Board. Each board member must have a SAVE Promise Club advisor to support them in all aspects, including travel. Applications are due Tuesday, April 1, and both the youth and advisor must submit an application. Click here to apply.
