Increased attention has been given the safety of students and school staff members following highly publicized acts of violence within schools, including the mass shootings at Robb Elementary School in 2022, Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, and Columbine High School in 1999. In response to these tragic events, schools have implemented various…

Devastating school shootings have spawned a cottage industry of untested responses to school violence. Some involve target hardening, or making schools less vulnerable to violent attacks. School administrators and community members can be quick to gravitate towards target hardening measures for preventing school violence. However, crime prevention…

The COVID-19 pandemic is a public health crisis of proportions not seen in generations. In the spring of 2020, all 50 states were simultaneously under a disaster declaration (U.S. News, 2020) and most communities began to require distancing in order to mitigate virus spread. As a result, schools closed and distance learning and telehealth became…

At the request of President Trump in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, a Federal Commission on School Safety was assembled to provide meaningful and actionable recommendations to maintain student safety in schools. This article summarizes the overarching points of the Commission's report and shares concerns raised the National Association of…

Positive school climate and supportive learning environments have a significant effect on a range of student outcomes. There are a number of assessment instruments that districts can use to measure school climate. These instruments are available from and recommended by national organizations that promote and support school climate interventions.

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) believes school psychologists are ethically obligated to ensure all youth with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and/or gender expressions, are able to develop and express their personal identities in a school climate that is safe, accepting, and respectful of all persons and…

Supporting students who are trans and nonbinary is essential work. Students in this population are at high risk for mental health and academic problems. Until trans and nonbinary students can express their individuality on their terms, school psychologists must continue to advocate for their rights and seek to support school staff in providing a…

Overall, people whose gender identity and/or expression do not correspond to traditional norms are increasingly sharing their life experiences publicly. These narratives are offered by adults as well as children and their families. Within the last year, almost every major television network and news outlet has featured at least one such story.…

Transgender students have unique and intense needs to be addressed for a safer and more inclusive school experience. Experiencing harassment and feeling unsafe at school can lead to negative educational outcomes, such as depression, victimization, poor academic outcomes, substance abuse, school avoidance, risky sexual behavior, suicidal ideation,…

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) supports efforts to ensure that schools are safe and inclusive learning environments for all students, family members, and school staff, including those who are transgender or gender diverse. NASP acknowledges that neither having a transgender identity nor being perceived as gender diverse is…

It is important that districts and schools do everything they can to create and maintain school climates and environments that are sensitive and responsive to the various educational, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of transgender and gender diverse students, regardless of the actual presence of a student who identifies as something other…

Home-school collaboration is strongly related to educational outcomes of children. However, not all families feel equally welcome at their children's schools. Children of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) couples are often met with perceived hostility when they attempt to participate in discussions about family, and their parents…

Gender, although widely understood as one of the fundamental organizing principles of social life and a prism through which we understand our experiences and ourselves, is rarely pondered in daily life (Dragowski, Scharrón-del Río, & Sandigorsky, 2011; Kimmel, 2011). For most people, gender is implicitly understood as a self-evident reality--a…

The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT (USA) has brought the conversation about how to reduce violence, make schools safer, improve school climate, and increase access to mental health services to the forefront of the national conversation. Advocating for comprehensive initiatives to address school safety, school climate, and…

School psychologists are leaders in the most essential efforts to create a world in which all children and youth thrive in school, at home, and throughout life. Their leadership derives from their commitment to uphold the dignity and rights of all children, to doing so through evidence-based practice, and to recognizing the important role of…