The American Psychological Association (APA) recently announced the release of a report based on an APA Task Force on Violence Against Educators and School Personnel survey of 14,966 participants. "Participants were asked about their experience with threats of violence (including verbal harassment, threats or cyberbullying) from students, parents/guardians, colleagues and administrators, as well as physical violence from students. They were also asked about their desire or intention to quit, retire early or transfer to another position in the school or school district. The survey also included a series of open-ended, qualitative questions asking participants to share details of their experiences, expand on their concerns and offer recommendations for solutions."

A brief snapshot of some of the results include:

To review the report brief or the technical report, click the links below.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has created the document Supporting Youth Affected by the War in Ukraine: Tips for Caregivers and Educators. The document addresses keeping explanations developmentally appropriate, risk factors to consider, possible emotional responses, how caregivers and educators can help, coordinating between school and home, and more. The document also shares resources on how adults and address their own needs, and links to additional NASP resources.

There is still time to register for the Digital Threat Assessment class on April 8th from 9:30 am-4:00 pm via Zoom. Digital Threat Assessment training will enable participants to establish a framework to better assess all threats by constructing and considering the digital baseline of a threat maker by locating, documenting, and evaluating social media data through a threat assessment lens. A significant portion of the day will be spent engaging in hands-on exercises on the most prevalent social media platforms and associated search applications. For more information and to register, click here.

The Illinois School and Campus Safety Program is pleased to announce the class Advanced Digital Threat Assessment will be held on May 3rd from 9:30 am-4:00 pm via Zoom. Building upon the Digital Threat Assessment class by Safer Schools Together, Advanced Digital Threat Assessment advances participants' understanding of finding and curating relevant digital information consistent with real-life digital threat assessment data gathering scenarios. Significant engagement and hands-on practice will take place as participants are assembled into investigative teams and given a true-to-life mock scenario. For more information and to register, click here.