Friend, 

End-of-school-year energy is real. It’s one part celebration, one part exhaustion, and all parts full speed ahead. From class parties and field days to final exams and graduation ceremonies, this stretch is packed. You can feel the shift in the hallways: lighter, a little louder, maybe a bit less structured.

It’s a time full of big moments and just enough chaos to make you wonder what day it actually is. But in the midst of the celebrations, the countdowns, and the well-earned exhales, there’s one thing that can’t get lost in the shuffle: safety.

The end of the school year brings more movement on campus, more visitors, and more events pulling people in different directions. It’s easy to assume the systems you’ve relied on all year will carry you through. And most of them will. But we’ve also seen how those final few weeks are when small details can get missed. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just... the end of the school year.

At a recent end-of-year performance at one of our partner schools, an elementary show wrapped up around midday. One student, we’ll call him John, was lucky to have Mom, Dad, Aunt, and Grandma all there to cheer him on. When the performance ended, Mom took John home, assuming the rest of the family would catch up. But the others stayed behind to mingle. About 20 minutes later, Dad realized John was no longer with the group and alerted the school’s Joffe Campus Safety Officer, which triggered the school’s missing student protocol. Thankfully, a quick phone call resolved the situation, but it revealed a gap in the school’s early dismissal process and in how visitor expectations were communicated after performances. It was a small miscommunication that could have led to a much larger concern.

So this month, we’re thinking about what it means to finish strong. Not just academically, but operationally. That might look like double-checking your plans for graduation day, giving your team a moment to regroup before a series of events, or squeezing in one last walkthrough to ensure visitor protocols are still top of mind.

We’ve pulled together a few resources to support you through the finish line, like our End-of-the-Year Activities Toolkit, you can use right away without adding to the overwhelm. Because safety doesn’t need to be a big reinvention. It just needs to be present.

You’re doing the work. You’re leading through the chaos. And you’re holding your community through one of the most joyful (and demanding) stretches of the year. We’re proud to be in your corner.

In strength,

Chris Joffe

Founder and CEO 

Twitter: @JoffeChris

Safety Spotlight:

Keeping Celebrations Safe and Prepared

In our most recent webinar, we were asked, "We’re hosting a big end-of-year celebration for students and families—what should we do if a health issue comes up during the event?"

We turned to James Durazo, who directly supports our Joffe Health Coordinators, for the answer:

Great question! Just like during the school day, it’s important to have a clear plan for who will respond if someone gets hurt or sick. We recommend designating one person, like an operations team member, school nurse, or EMT, whose sole job is to handle physical health concerns during the event. When that responsibility is clearly assigned, you avoid confusion and ensure a faster, calmer response.

It’s also important to think about what happens after an incident. Documenting any health issues, even minor ones, keeps your school protected and helps your team learn and improve. To support you, this month’s Simple School Solution is a Sample Incident Report, a ready-to-use template to make documentation easier and more consistent.

May 12th Webinar - This month’s webinar wraps up with Part 3 on the Incident Command System by focusing on the remaining strike teams that round out a complete emergency response. We’ll explore the roles of First Aid, Crisis Counseling, Search & Rescue, as well as IT, Legal, & HR. Join us to learn how to strengthen these areas of your school’s emergency plan and walk away with tools to help every team member show up with clarity and purpose when it matters most.

Add our Webinar Series Spring 2025 schedule to your calendar

Remaining Spring 2025 Webinars:

• May 12
• June 9

Planning to attend or have questions about any of the events? Let us know!

Resources

End-of-the-Year Activities Toolkit: Celebrate a strong finish with our End-of-Year Activities Toolkit. Inside, you’ll find courses on running tabletop exercises, expert interviews on planning summer activities, guidance on final documentation, and more resources to help you wrap up the year safely and successfully.

Closing Out the School Year Documentation Course: With this course, administrators can receive resources for tasks that need attention without the purchase of the End-of-the-Year Activities Toolkit!

Top 10 Safety Considerations for Summer School Programming Blog Post: As summer approaches, we know you are focused on how to prioritize the well-being of your students and staff. Our blog, co-written with our friends at SPARC, covers topics like health and hygiene, heat safety, emergency preparedness, and much more. Ensure a safe and enriching experience for everyone!

Planning Ahead for 2025–26? We’re Here to Help.

Whether you're updating your Emergency Operations Plan, rethinking arrival and dismissal procedures, or designing meaningful summer professional development—we’re ready to partner with you. Reach out to Colleen, our Partnerships Manager, to learn how a Joffe expert can support your school’s health, safety, and security goals for the year ahead.

Follow us on social media!

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

X: @JoffeChris & @Joffeemergency

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