In 2018, Michigan’s School Safety Task Force issued a set of wide-ranging and far-reaching final recommendations for making Michigan public schools safer. Governor Rick Snyder created the School Safety Task Force to ” identify structural and policy recommendations for collaboration, planning, and assessment of school infrastructure and safety policies.” The Task Force recommended that Michigan schools do the following:

• Conduct physical security assessments.
• Implement interior and exterior security measures.
• Implement Emergency Operations Planning (EOP) training.
• Meet state compliance requirements.
• Integrate state guidance regarding emergency drills, definitions of terms, and threats of violence.
• Define the roles of safety personnel in schools.
• Adopt the OK2SAY program, which encourages students to report information about suspicious behaviors, bullying, suicide threats, anxiety, drugs, etc.
• Increase training for safety and security staff.
• Award schools that foster safe environments.
• Increase collaboration among public health experts and educators.
• Implement student behavioral health screenings.

These recommendations underscore Michigan lawmakers’ focus on school safety in recent years. These measures range from addressing behavioral health concerns to instituting school safety curricula to requiring secure infrastructure. Learn more about the recommendations.

In all of Michigan’s current and upcoming public school policies and legislation, focused attention on students’ mental health is a priority. Last year, the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety (MSP/OSS) hosted Michigan K-12 Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (Mi-BTAM) training free of charge. This training was intended for school-based threat assessment teams in K-12 public, charter, and private schools. This training taught teams to identify, engage, and work collaboratively with families and students to mitigate situational life factors contributing to thoughts of violence and aggression. Learn more here.

The 2022 Competitive School Safety Grant Program (CSSGP) funds measures that fulfill the School Safety Task Force’s Recommendations. The Michigan Legislature appropriated $10 million for these measures. The Grants and Community Services Division (GCSD) of the Michigan State Police (MSP) awarded and administered these competitive grants. Eligible grantees included public schools, nonpublic schools, school districts, and intermediate school districts. These grants fund measures that improve the safety and security of students, staff, and school buildings. Specifically, the CSSGP supports purchasing safety and security technology and equipment. The program also provides funds for technology upgrades and improvements to existing systems. 

Michigan legislators will continue to prioritize safety and security in schools. Governor Gretchen Whitmer proposed increased funding for the 2022-23 fiscal year to $66 million in school safety grants. This number equals the total amount of funding for school safety distributed since 2015. According to Whitmer, “with this historic proposal and my larger education budget, which includes resources to improve every kid’s in-class experience, build and renovate school facilities, and retain and recruit more teachers, we will invest in every school and every district across Michigan.” School districts across the state will be eligible for this increased funding.

In 2020, the US Office of Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) convened a School Safety Working Group that identified ten essential actions schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies can take to mitigate and prevent school violence. COPS also recommended actions to facilitate swift and effective law enforcement assistance when it is necessary. The Michigan Office of School Safety highlights the role of School Resource Officers and collaboration with law enforcement as essential elements of its approach to making schools safer. COPS guidance regarding school safety measures, therefore, informs their recommendations.

The COPS School Safety Working Group’s “ten essential actions” address both the physical safety and the emotional security of students and staff members:

1. 1. comprehensive school safety assessment 
   2. school climate 
   3. campus, building, and classroom security 
   4. anonymous reporting systems 
   5. coordination with first responders 
   6. behavior threat assessment and management 
   7. school-based law enforcement 
   8. mental health resources 
   9. drills 
   10. social media monitoring 

These actions suggest that a school building’s physical security is directly related to the school community’s health. Increasingly, education leaders are making the case for security as a prerequisite for a robust learning environment.

The list of federal formula grants awarded to Michigan includes:

• IDEA, $479,236,336 (2025 estimate)
• Title I-A, $564,682,139 (2025 estimate)
• Title II-A, $63,467,553 (2025 estimate)
• Title IV-A, $38,339,698 (FY24)

The Office of Justice and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will fund targeted, evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to address youth violence in schools. The program’s goals are to reduce the incidence of school violence through improved school safety and climate and to prevent youth violence, delinquency, and victimization in the targeted community. Schools implementing school safety solutions should show how these solutions prevent violence and improve the climate of safety in schools. Learn more about the program here.

The Office of Justice Programs created the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative to “prevent and reduce violent crime in communities by supporting comprehensive, evidence-based community-based violence intervention and prevention programs.” Learn more about the program here.

The U.S. Department of Justice oversees the COPS School Violence Prevention Program, which distributes funding for evidence-based school safety programs and technologies. School safety solutions that help identify potential dangers are eligible for COPS funding. Districts can also use funds to improve emergency notification and response systems, including Michigan school alert systems. To learn more, visit the COPS website.

The U.S. Department of Justice has also made funds available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance. BJA’s STOP School Violence Program funds the purchase of school safety software designed to help K-12 schools maintain a safe environment. This program’s priorities are recognizing, responding to, and preventing violence on campus. BJA will allocate $82 million to STOP School Violence Program competitive grants in fiscal year 2024.