A guide to building calm, confident, and safe campuses
In a school emergency, what happens in the first few moments can shape everything that follows: how staff respond, how students feel, and whether families continue to trust the community you've built.
As school leaders, we know that safety isn’t just about protocols. It’s about people—staff who know their role, students who feel supported, and leadership that can guide others through uncertainty.
These ten safety trainings represent the most important building blocks we recommend schools invest in to create a safer, more prepared, and more resilient environment. Whether you’re building your emergency preparedness program from scratch or refining an already-strong foundation, this list is a starting point for meaningful action.
These trainings focus on empowering staff with the confidence to act in the first moments of a crisis—before leadership even has time to step in.
Emergencies impact every student differently. This training helps staff act quickly in a crisis while minimizing trauma, supporting dysregulated students, and using language and behavior that reduce panic.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: All staff, especially teachers and student-facing teams
Whether it's a student conflict, an escalated parent, or tension in the hallway, knowing how to de-escalate is critical. This training builds staff skill and confidence in handling challenging interactions calmly and safely.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: School admin, front office staff, athletic staff, student supervisors
From sports injuries to playground falls to allergic reactions, medical emergencies require fast response. This certification gives your staff hands-on experience to act with care and confidence.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: Coaches, PE staff, nurses, teachers, support staff
These trainings help school leaders and emergency teams move from confusion to coordination in a matter of minutes.
This training equips school leadership teams with a framework for making decisions under pressure, activating emergency protocols, and coordinating recovery—all while staying present for students and staff.
Leaders walk away with:
Best for: Heads of school, deans, division leads, operations directors
A strong emergency response relies on clear roles. This training teaches schools how to build a site-specific ICS structure that ensures coordination, clarity, and accountability during fast-moving events.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: Operations staff, safety teams, school administrators
Front office staff are often the first to spot a threat—or the first to respond. This training helps reception and admin teams manage visitor interactions, respond to emergencies at the door, and support communication during lockdowns or evacuations.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: Receptionists, office managers, admin support staff
When the immediate threat has passed, what your team does next determines how the school community will reflect, reconnect, and heal.
Reuniting students with caregivers is one of the most logistically challenging and emotionally delicate parts of emergency response. This training provides systems and templates that schools can adapt for smooth, trauma-informed reunification.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: Admin, operations teams, student support staff
Preventing a crisis is always the goal. This training helps schools build a multidisciplinary process to identify concerning behavior early, assess risks, and respond with both safety and compassion in mind.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: Mental health staff, deans, counselors, student support teams
The right message—delivered quickly and with care—can maintain trust during even the most difficult moments. This training helps school leaders craft and deliver messages that inform, calm, and guide the school community.
Leaders walk away with:
Best for: Heads of school, communications leads, operations teams
Staff deserve to feel safe too. This training helps schools build systems for identifying, documenting, and de-escalating potential threats among adults in the school environment. It also fulfills compliance requirements in many states.
Staff walk away with:
Best for: HR, facilities, operations, leadership
You don’t need to tackle every training all at once. But building a safer, more prepared campus starts with one step:
Whether you’re looking for a partner or just need a place to begin, we’re here to support you. Because in the end, safety isn’t about doing everything. It’s about doing the right things—and making sure your people are ready.
Explore our full suite of live and on-demand training at joffeemergencyservices.com or joffeacademy.com.