OKLAHOMA CITY (July 8, 2022) – The Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Office of School Safety and Security (OSSS) reported today the first round of teachers and administrators enrolled in its recently launched micro-credentialing programs have earned professional designations for School Safety and Security Professional and Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management.
Created by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister in 2018 through a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Education, the OSSS strengthens school safety by providing Oklahoma public schools with the resources and aid needed to develop comprehensive, high-quality emergency operation plans.
School Safety and Security Professional micro-credentialing began in April 2020 and requires 15-20 hours to complete the required training modules. More than 130 teachers and administrators are currently enrolled in the program. The Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management training program, launched in January 2021, requires approximately 16 hours of training.
Both training programs are free for participants.
“As recent tragic events on the national stage have grimly underscored, we must do everything we can to ensure a sustainably safe environment in our public schools,” Hofmeister said. “Our Office of School Safety and Security is working diligently and collaboratively with teachers, administrators, students and the public in communities all across Oklahoma to enhance security and provide a wide range of training, resources and support needed for a culture of preparedness in public schools.”
In its first year of operation, the OSSS partnered with the University of Central Oklahoma's School of Criminal Justice and the Oklahoma School Security Institute to develop Student Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management training.
The OSSS has expanded its services for school districts to include active assailant and de-escalation trainings, emergency operation planning, behavioral threat assessments and professional development opportunities that support preparedness efforts for all threats and hazards.
In the 2019-2020 school year, the Oklahoma State Department of Education made the Rave Panic Button available for all public K-12 school districts statewide. The OSSS team provides support and training for districts in implementing the service. Sixty percent of school districts use the Rave application currently, with another 25 percent in the process of implementing it.
The Rave Panic Button alerts authorities to an active assailant, medical emergency, fire or other crisis situations a school may encounter. The application simultaneously sends out a notification to all teachers and staff on campus, significantly reducing the emergency response time.
For more information about the Office of School Safety and Security, email okcares@sde.ok.gov or visit sde.ok.gov/school-safety-and-security.