Federal Resources

This blog entry, written by a Department of Education intern, discusses the author’s personal experience with cyberbullying and her undergraduate research on states’ implementation of cyberbullying policy and the impact on students and rates of cyberbullying. Learn more.

This report published by The Department of Education addresses current (2011) anti-bullying laws and anti-bullying policies that have been created as models for schools.

This publication from the Department of Education’s Higher Education Center highlights the prevalence of bullying within college-age youth and the policies and programs universities are putting in place to combat it.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued a letter to public school districts about LGBT bullying. He specifically states that GSAs are protected under the 1984 Equal Access Act, which protects student-initiated groups.

The Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) administers, coordinates, and recommends policy for improving quality and excellence of programs and activities related to youth safety and drug prevention.

This website provides articles, videos, tools, and other resources on bullying prevention.

A principal vehicle by which OSDFS communicates with the field, and provides information on research-based activities, best practices, and other information related to effective drug abuse and violence prevention strategies.

This report (PDF, 12 pages) highlights the experiences of AAPI student who face bullying. The data show that students from all AAPI communities experience bullying, often related to limited English proficiency, cultural stereotypes, national origin, and religion/religious attire, and many are not aware of resources that can help. 

This report examines student criminal victimization and the characteristics of crime victims and nonvictims. It also provides findings on student reports of the presence of gangs and weapons, and the availability of drugs and alcohol at school, student reports of bullying, and fear and avoidance behaviors of crime victims and nonvictims at school. 

This set of documents was developed by the National Association of Governors Highway Safety Representatives with financial assistance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The guides focus on the following topics: Coalition Building, Needs Assessment and Strategic Planning, Evaluation, Prevention and Education, Underage Drinking Enforcement, Public Policy Advocacy, Media Relations, Self-Sufficiency, and Resources.

The National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth recently profiled The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) Funding and Programs List, which outlines which federal departments have programs that help prevent and end homelessness and includes programs specifically designed to assist homeless youth.

This series of tip sheets is designed to help state and local education agencies expand online engagement. The first tip sheet focuses on innovative engagement, highlighting new and creative ways in which states are engaging with audiences. 

Developed by FEMA, the National Preparedness Month (NPM) 2013 Toolkit includes templates of materials to use in your NPM outreach efforts as well as suggestions for activities and events. 

This guide is a companion piece to the Practical Information on Crisis Planning: A Guide for Schools and Communities (above). It emphasizes a valuable part of emergency management planning—ongoing vulnerability assessment—and is intended to assist schools with the selection and implementation of an effective vulnerability assessment tool.

This booklet was created to assist parents and caregivers in helping youth cope with disasters and emergencies. The guide also provides information on preparing family emergency plans and discussing these plans with youth.

Recognizing the need for research to evaluate the current state of disaster preparedness education and research regarding youth, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) commissioned a review of the literature related to emergency preparedness education for youth. The objectives of this review were to identify research and evaluations of youth education interventions for emergency preparedness and to use the findings to develop recommendations that can be used to assess current programs and to enhance the provision of youth preparedness education programs.

Citizen Corps was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that will make our communities safer, stronger, and better prepared to respond to any emergency situation. It provides opportunities for people to participate in a range of measures to make their families, homes, and communities safer from the threats of crime, terrorism, and disasters of all kinds. Search for your local Citizen Corps Councils, Community Emergency Response Teams, Medical Reserve Corps, Fire Corps and Neighborhood Watch programs here.

This Department of Homeland Security website provides information and resources focused on disaster response and recovery. Additional information about the ways the Department of Homeland Security can help with recovery is available on the disaster assistance page

This section of the Department of Homeland Security website provides information and resources focused on planning and preparing for a disaster by understanding the cycle of preparation, planning for disasters, and developing a culture of preparedness.

This site consolidates disaster assistance information in one place. The secure, user-friendly U.S. Government web portal allows users to apply for assistance online following a presidentially declared disaster and to find additional resources and information about recovering from a disaster.

The U.S. Department of Education (ED)'s Office of Safe and Healthy Students' (OSHS) Center for School Preparedness provides support, resources, grants, and training to support emergency management efforts for local educational agencies and institutions of higher education.

This pamphlet provides child care providers with information and strategies to better prepare for earthquakes in their facilities.

This website, Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools (REMS), provides information that can help school leaders plan for any emergency, including natural disasters, violent incidents and terrorist acts.

Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools offers research-based practices designed to assist school communities identify these warning signs early and develop prevention, intervention and crisis response plans.

The Preparedness Tips for School Administrators fact sheet is comprised of tips and suggestions on preparedness, as well as links to tools and resources specifically for school administrators.  Resources are pulled from FEMA, the Department of Education, CDC, and practitioners in the field. This document can help school administrators answer the questions parents might have regarding emergency management planning and practices. The resource also provides tips for administrators to explain school and parent roles and responsibilities in preparing for and responding to emergencies.