Arizona School Safety Task Force releases final report and model school safety plan

After over one year of work, the School Safety Task Force, as convened by the Arizona Department of Education, is proud today to release their final report and model school safety plan.

Despite the efforts of students involved with the Arizona chapter of March for Our Lives to pass House Bill 2597 in the 2019 legislature, the bill failed to pass. However, lack of legislative action did not end the students’ vision for school safety.

Instead, Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman partnered with March for Our Lives to create the first-ever statewide School Safety Task Force; a multi-disciplinary group convened to reframe school safety as a multi-pronged approach to safety, health and violence.

“As an educator, I’ve consistently seen the value and importance of listening to our students and bringing their voices into decision making,” said Superintendent Hoffman. “I encourage all to read this report than reflect on the ways that student voices can be elevated into your conversations about school climate and safety, so that all students can feel a sense of safety and belonging on our campuses.”

“By creating this School Safety manual, it is our hope that all school districts in Arizona will have more direction and equal access to resources that will equate to an emotionally safe campus for all students,” said Julie Kent-Partridge, MSW, CSSW at Washington Elementary School District, “Our students are the future leaders of America and keeping them emotionally safe while they are in public education so they can access academics was the ultimate goal of this task force. Our team worked hard and was amazing – I feel blessed to be part of this experience!”

One major goal of the School Safety Task Force was to create an outline of recommended legislative changes. The following ideas should be considered by lawmakers in the 2021 legislative session:

• Provide sustainable funding for the ADE to provide ongoing training on the determinants of the model school safety plan.
• Repeal legislation prohibiting statewide collection of school disciplinary data.
• Provide sustainable funding for the ADE for a full-time position to establish a vetting process for resources and to create and keep current a clearinghouse of resources on its website.
• Provide sustainable funding to create and implement a statewide tip line for public and charter schools.

Additionally, students made recommendations to both lawmakers and school leaders, including:

• Providing funds for mental health programs and positions, like mental health counselors and social workers
• School leaders and educators should come from and reflect the school community
• Implement restorative justice programs and centers in schools
• Implement culturally sensitive and anti-racist curriculum
• Consider alternatives to negative reinforcement systems (i.e. detention and suspension)

“We are very excited and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the Department of Education and Superintendent Hoffman over the last year,” said Maya Zuckerberg, Political Co-Director of March for Our Lives Arizona. “The work and research done on this committee will undoubtedly prove to help keep our students and school communities safe, and ensure that as a state, we really are putting student’s wellbeing first.”

Since launching the School Safety Task Force, our communities have gone through so much, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and nationwide protests for racial justice. These two events influenced the work of the Task Force because of their transformative effect on our students and schools. Read the Final Report and Model School Safety Plan here: https://www.azed.gov/wellness/school-safety-task-force

Members of the School Safety Task Force: