The Building for God Community Foundation has been working closely with Safe and Sound Schools as part of our Safe and Sound Maryland partnership to make our schools safer. Earlier this year, we asked for your help in launching the second annual national survey to measure perceptions of school safety among key stakeholders: parents, students, educators, public safety officials, and community members. We are so grateful for your support and are thrilled to share with you the results of the survey.

CLICK HERE to access the full State of School Safety Report for 2019. The full report includes perceptions about safety preparedness, resources, communication, threats, mental health support, and recovery. Some key implications found include:

A persistent disconnect in perceptions among educators and parents/students on many safety issues, as well as gaps in communication about school safety
Students do not feel as if they have a voice in school safety decision making, and they feel schools have a false sense of security
Educators, parents, and students have differing perceptions about mental health experts, access, and education
Parents and educators are optimistic about their expertise to improve school safety, yet, the perception of safety responsibility is still focused inward on the school, not involving external stakeholders

Safe and Sound Maryland urges all of you to read and share this report with other school community members. It provides details on the research as well as concrete steps schools can take to make a difference. The results offer conversation starters to help measure perceptions in our local communities. We should be asking these questions of our own schools, and work to make positive changes to reduce the risks of safety threats and improve our abilities to respond and recover from safety incidents.

Together, Building for God Community Foundation and Safe and Sound Schools are making a difference in our Maryland communities. Our partnership allows us to bring these national resources to our local families and school communities, and for Safe and Sound Schools to extend local work beyond our state. We are so proud of this partnership and for your support in helping make our Maryland schools safe and sound.