TASB School Safety Services

School safety is a top concern for school districts across Texas. To support your efforts, TASB offers many school safety services and training opportunities—available exclusively for member districts.

Working with TASB on school safety issues means that you can tap into our staff of experts who can apply their knowledge to your unique needs. We offer free and subscription-based specialized training, consultation services, and information on school safety and emergency management.

As always, we encourage you to contact us with any suggestions or comments on how TASB can address your school safety needs.

While we all hope emergencies do not happen, school districts must be prepared to manage them. To assist with preparedness, TASB offers legal and policy assistance as well as resources on:

• Coronavirus (COVID-19)
• Cybersecurity
• General school safety and security
• Guns in schools
• School violence
• Student discipline and anti-bullying

Legal assistance

Contact TASB Legal Services at legal@tasb.org or 800-580-5345 for questions concerning the legal implications of school safety and student discipline decisions.

Policy assistance

Contact Policy Service at policy.service@tasb.org or 800-580-7529 for assistance and sample policies on:

• Safety practices
• Security personnel
• Weapons
• Search and seizure
• Student discipline
• Student drug testing

Additionally, these resources are available to all TASB Policy Service members as part of their annual membership fee:

• Model Student Code of Conduct
• Model Student Handbook
• Regulations Resource Manual

Cybersecurity

Online resources

• TASB Legal Services' School Cybersecurity - Texas Requirements (pdf) provides an overview of cybersecurity policy and plan requirements, including security awareness training and audits, specifically required for Texas school districts.
• TASB Legal Services' School Cybersecurity - Getting Started (pdf) briefly explains what cybersecurity means for Texas schools, common cyberattack methods, and relevant laws, and explores how board members may begin to address the cybersecurity needs of their districts.
• TASB Legal Services' School Cybersecurity - Security Breach Notification and Response (pdf) answers basic questions about data breach notification requirements for school districts under Texas law.
• TASB Risk Management Fund’s Cybersecurity Cheat Sheet for Finance Professionals explains how business managers, payroll clerks, and other employees who have access to district finances can avoid common scams. (Login required.)
• Read the InsideRM articles:
  • 4 Tips for a Stronger Cybersecurity Program
  • Do Your Vendors’ Cybersecurity Practices Make the Grade?
  • Want to Worry Less about Data Breaches?
  • Cybercriminals are Targeting Your District's Finances
  • 4 Cybersecurity Regulations You Need to Know About

Expert guidance

• Visit the Risk Solutions & Services page on Cybersecurity for information about training, resources, and guidance to help address privacy and cybersecurity challenges as you work to create a culture of cyber awareness.

General school safety and security

Online resources

• Read the TASB Member Center article that provides best practices for building a threat assessment program in your district.
• The TASB Legal Services article Options for Employing School Safety Personnel in Texas Public Schools (pdf) explains options for employing school safety personnel.
• The TASB Legal Services and Texas School Safety Center article Operationalizing School Behavioral Threat Assessment FAQ (pdf) answers questions about using Safe and Supportive School Teams (SSSTs) to conduct behavioral threat assessments (BTA) and provide support to campuses. 
• TASB Legal Services article School Safety and Security Committees (pdf) answers frequently asked questions about the duties of a school district's safety and security committee.
• Visit the TASB School Law eSource: Safety and Emergency Management web page.
• Read the Legal Services memo, Visitors to School Property and School Events (pdf).
• Listen to the August 2018 TASB Talks Podcast on collaborating for school safety.
• Read the HRX articles Safety Personnel Staffing and How HR Can Help Substitutes Prepare for Emergencies.
• Watch the recording of the TASB Risk Management Fund webinar Simple Ways to Optimize Emergency Operations Plans with Tabletop Exercises to learn how to uncover gaps in your emergency response plans before the unexpected happens. (Login required.)
• Read the InsideRM articles:
  • What You Need to Know About Threat Assessment Teams
  • The Complete Hurricane Season Toolkit for Schools
  • Emergency Operations Plans: What You Need To Know
  • Making Sense of Safety and Security Committees

Expert guidance

• Contact our Risk Solutions consultants to find out more about campus surveys, safety training, and other risk prevention services available at no cost to TASB Risk Management Fund members with coverage in auto, liability, property and workers’ compensation programs.

Non-TASB resources

• NSBA Center for Safe Schools
• Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools
• National School Safety Center
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Texas School Safety Center
• U.S. Department of Education: Federal Commission on School Safety
• SchoolSafety.gov

School violence

Online resources

• Operationalizing School Behavioral Threat Assessment FAQ (pdf)
• Knives on School District Property (pdf)
• Metal Detectors in Schools (pdf)
• The Fund Violent Act coverage

Non-TASB resources

• CDC School Violence: Prevention Tools and Resources
• School Safety and Security Audit Toolkit | Texas School Safety Center

Guns in schools

Online resources

TASB Legal Services memos (pdfs):

• Armed Security Officer Requirement in House Bill 3 (2023)
• Firearms on School District Property
• School Marshals and Other School District Personnel Carrying Firearms
• Student Discipline for Firearms at School

Student discipline and anti-bullying

Online resources

• Visit the Student Discipline section of School Law eSource
• Visit the Freedom from Bullying and Harassment section of School Law eSource
• Policy Service - Student Discipline and Safety

Expert guidance

Visit the Special Risk Services page on Legal Liability Services for information about training, resources, and guidance on navigating risks such as bullying, sexual harassment, and Title IX compliance.

Updated July 27, 2023