Public and private schools
School safety assessments for Maryland schools
Help your staff connect security planning with the school day. SSEI supports school leaders with practical assessments, staff preparation and clear priorities for improvement.
Discuss your school’s needs →Start with the way your school operates
Arrival, dismissal, visitors, shared spaces and after-hours activities create different responsibilities. An assessment starts with the people, activities and concerns in your setting, including the safeguards already in place.
What a school safety assessment can include
- Review of access, visitor procedures and everyday staff responsibilities.
- Communication, reporting and escalation procedures.
- Emergency planning, accountability and family reunification responsibilities.
- Staff training needs and a plan for checking whether changes work.
The agreed scope determines which records, observations, interviews and exercises are appropriate. Findings should distinguish observed gaps, missing evidence and matters needing specialist review.
Public and private schools need their own context
A small private school and a large public campus may have different staffing, governance, resources and activities. SSEI discusses those conditions before recommending priorities; one school’s plan should not be copied without review.
Connect the plan to staff practice
Facilitated discussions and planned exercises help staff ask questions, clarify handoffs and identify procedure gaps. Training scope and instructor assignments are confirmed for each engagement.
Explore staff preparedness training · Understand the assessment process · Review reporting and prevention
School assessment questions
Can SSEI support both public and private schools?
Yes. SSEI discusses the school’s setting, responsibilities and resources before agreeing an assessment or training scope.
What should school leaders prepare for an initial discussion?
Describe your school, the people responsible for safety and the concern you want to address. Do not send detailed vulnerabilities or confidential incident information through the public inquiry form.
Does a school assessment guarantee an incident will be prevented?
No. An assessment identifies concerns and improvement priorities within its agreed scope. It does not guarantee that an incident will not occur.