School Safety

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Prevention
Protection
Mitigation
Response

Recovery
Training
Exercises
Resources

The Iowa Department of Education believes school districts must be adequately prepared for a variety of emergencies that threaten the young lives of Iowa students each day. Iowa Code 280.30 outlines the requirements for school districts and individual school buildings. In summary, it requires:

The development of a high-quality emergency operations plan (EOP), which shall include:
- Response to active shooter and natural disasters
- Alerting procedures for students, staff and to the employers of onsite non-school personnel
- Development and publication of threat reporting procedures
Consultation with emergency management agencies and law enforcement for EOP development
Annual review of the EOP by the school board and authorities
Each school will conduct at least one exercise to validate the EOP

Prevention

Safe+Sound Iowa: School Safety Reporting System

A free anonymous K-12 school safety reporting system is now available to help prevent violence, unlawful possession of weapons, self-harm and other forms of victimization and threatening behaviors in schools across the state.

Safe+Sound Iowa is available to students, school staff, parents and concerned community members to help identify and provide intervention for students in crisis before they hurt themselves or others.

For schools participating in the Safe+Sound Iowa program, a variety of resources are available to help train staff and encourage students and others to use the reporting tools available.

If your school has chosen not to participate, you will still want to be notified when a threat impacts one of your schools. For that reason, the Governor’s School Safety Bureau asks you to complete this School Safety Contact Form, if you have not done so already, so that you can be notified if a report impacts one of your district’s students or buildings. To learn more about providing contacts, see the Frequently Asked Questions.

Behavioral Threat Assessment Management

The State of Behavioral threat Assessment and Management in K-12 Public Schools (U.S. Secret Service)

Aligning Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management with a Multi-Tiered System of Approach (U.S. Secret Service)

Public Venue Bag Search Procedures Guide (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency)

Protection

Critical Incident Mapping

The state has contracted with GeoComm, a third-party vendor, to provide critical incident mapping services to schools in Iowa. The services include creation of detailed Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps of schools, including indoors, and mapping software for use during emergency incidents in and around schools.

Critical incident mapping will empower schools and emergency responders to visualize emergency incidents and other critical information on top of newly developed digital school maps to aid in decreasing response times to school emergencies. Along with creating detailed maps of schools, GeoComm will provide secure web browser-based and mobile mapping applications to provide access to school maps and communicate critical information to identified personnel and first responders.

There is no cost for schools to participate in these services through April 30, 2026. For continuation of services May 1, 2026 and beyond, contact Matt Werner at mwerner@geocomm.com or 937-606-4396.

School Security Infrastructure Software & Technology Attestation Form

The Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) is developing a list of organizations to provide school security infrastructure software or technology to Iowa schools. Visit the HSEM webpage for the attestation form, approved organization list, and security standards and policies. For additional questions, contact CIP@iowa.gov.