The Partner Alliance for Safer Schools (PASS) has released the Seventh Edition of its Safety and Security Guidelines for K–12 Schools, providing updated nationwide best practices to help schools strengthen campus safety and facility security.

Founded in 2014, PASS is a nonprofit partnership of experts in education, public safety, and security, dedicated to creating safer learning environments. Its framework provides practical guidance that helps schools balance safety, accessibility, and operational needs.

The updated edition includes enhancements to both the Safety and Security Guidelines and the School Safety and Security Checklist, making them more comprehensive, easier to use, and better aligned with schools’ evolving security challenges. PASS continues to emphasize a layered, tiered approach to school safety, providing administrators and risk managers with a clear roadmap for evaluating and prioritizing security measures.

Notable improvements include:

  • Expanded recommendations for emergency communications, classroom safety, and visitor management
  • Refined guidance on emerging security technologies and physical access control
  • Updated assessment tools to help schools identify and prioritize facility improvements

As school districts review or update their Comprehensive School Safety Plans (CSSPs), the PASS guidelines offer valuable best practices for integrating facility security, emergency preparedness, and prevention measures into those plans.

School districts are encouraged to download the new PASS guidelines and consider how these recommendations and best practices can help strengthen campus safety and facility readiness.

For questions, please contact Scarlett Sadler.