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Friend, 

As the last weeks of summer unfold, the halls of our campuses will soon be filled with the vibrant energy of a new school year. The scent of freshly polished floors and the sight of newly decorated classrooms signal the exciting journey ahead. 

Each new year brings fresh beginnings and the responsibility to ensure our schools remain safe and secure havens for learning.

In preparation for the unique challenges this year may present, we have compiled our annual School Trends Report. Identifying safety trends we anticipate in the 24-25 school year helps us anticipate potential risks, and establish proactive measures to address emerging threats. By recognizing key trends, we hope to empower school administrators, staff, and community with the knowledge and tools needed to create safer learning environments.

Before we go into the trends, I want to bring you behind the scenes to how we developed them: 

• We gathered insights from our on-the-ground teams, including School Safety Consultants, Security Directors, and other leaders within Joffe.
• We then polled our larger employee base for holistic feedback and support, ensuring our findings were well-rounded and inclusive.
• Local experiences from responders provided valuable reflections, allowing us to spot trends across various regions.
• Finally, we engaged with our schools for further feedback, and analyzed data from multiple sources.
• All of this qualitative and quantitative data informed our four key trends that we at Joffe are focused on for the upcoming school year. 

Our goal is to use these timely trends to guide our content and resource creation for schools. A particularly urgent trend is the upcoming November election. Next month, we will provide an election toolkit to help you navigate potential political unrest, threats, violence, and divisiveness in your community. As these trends evolve, we will prioritize our resources to support them effectively. For a more detailed look at our 24-25 School Trends Report, check out our latest blog post, which delves into the data and research behind our findings.

The future may be uncertain, but we are here to support you every step of the way. Our team is committed to providing the resources, training, and guidance needed to navigate these trends effectively.

Thank you for your dedication to school safety and for your continued partnership. Let’s make this school year one of progress, resilience, and unity.

In strength,

Chris Joffe

Founder and CEO 

Safety Spotlight: Back to School

In our recent campus walkthroughs, one of the top questions has been, "As the Director of School Operations, what safety and security preparations should I focus on for our buildings and campus as we get ready for the new school year?" To answer this, we turned to our Joffe safety consultant, Olivia.

"As summer is coming to a close, we want to prioritize our student experience as much as possible. We may have started summer with a list of ambitious projects, but it is now time to focus on what is most important: our students!

We hope you'll use our pre-first day of school checklist as a helpful resource before the school year kicks off. It's crucial to take advantage of this quieter period to thoroughly assess and repair your facilities and minimize the disruptions that may occur during the academic school year. And, with your faculty and staff starting to come back, it is a great time to take advantage of getting perspective on any minor issues that can be repaired before students arrive. 

I recommend starting with a top-to-bottom inspection of your buildings and grounds. Look for anything that might pose a safety risk - broken equipment, security vulnerabilities, or even just wear and tear. Addressing these issues now will save you headaches later and create a much safer learning environment for everyone.

Remember, it’s also important to partner with your local fire marshal, police department, and district safety team, who often have their own audit and safety perspective and can offer valuable insights into potential safety and security enhancements.

Remember, a safe school is a welcoming school. By investing time and resources into safety preparations, you're sending a clear message to your school community that their well-being is your top priority!"

August 12th Webinar: Join us on August 12th for our first school safety webinar of the 24-25 year. Cat Cecere and Chris Joffe will discuss anticipated trends, delve into the supporting data, and outline actionable steps for schools to be prepared. We look forward to seeing you there.

Add our webinars to your calendar!

Simple School Solutions: Use our School Facilities Inspection Checklist to audit and prepare your building for the first day of school, ensuring important safety and security measures are in place and up to standard.

24-25 School Trends Report: Our latest blog post explores the anticipated 24-25 school year trends, categorized into environmental, digital, physical, and political safety and security. We hope you read the blog post prior to the webinar, so we can dive deeper into the trends and our discussion together.

End-of-the-Year Activities Toolkit: Get ready for the school year with Joffe Academy's Back to School Bundle! This comprehensive course collection includes five essential modules: Crisis Communication Planning, Introduction to Emergency Operations Plans, Trauma-Informed Schools, Physical Security Best Practices, and Incident Command Structure (Part I). Perfect for streamlining preparations and ensuring a safe, successful school year.

New Fall Programming

Charter School Virtual Safety Certification 

Joffe is launching a Charter School Safety Certification Course tailored for Operations Leaders at charter schools across the nation! This comprehensive course equips participants with vital crisis response skills, promotes collaboration within charter school networks, and shares best practices for daily operations.

Here’s what your Ops Leaders will learn to leverage:

• Defining Roles within Incident Command Systems
• Roadmap to Reunification
• Trauma-Informed Active Shooter Training

Enroll now for our October cohort to elevate your skills and make a lasting impact on your school's operations!

Independent School BTAT Training in Southern CA 

Boost your expertise in behavior threat assessment teams with our in-depth two-part training led by Joffe team members. This program covers essential behavior threat assessment practices and includes a personalized observation of your team in action. Register now to secure your spot for our October 11th training!

Not in Southern CA? We’re bringing BTAT training to more cities soon! Contact us for details.

Follow us on social media!

We regularly post updates, blog posts, and share resources specifically designed to support school health and safety.

X: @JoffeChris & @Joffeemergency

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