It’s time to invest in student & educator well-being
Fostering school environments where educators and students are supported, and safety concerns are addressed, are two major components of creating safe schools. As the nation’s largest union, the National Education Association works to ensure the protections and infrastructure our children and educators so desperately need to succeed and live healthy lives are implemented across the nation.
The resources on this page—and in our related resource hubs on student and educator mental health, gun violence prevention, infection control & COVID-19, and healthy buildings—offer a foundational understanding of the issues that educators and communities face in providing a safe and positive school culture. These resources provide practical tools and skills that are needed to help create healthy environments that get to the root causes of school safety issues.
Our work is centered in NEA's Policy on Safe, Just, and Equitable Schools 2022, which explains in detail principles to guide the beliefs, actions, advocacy, partnerships, and other organization-wide efforts to achieve and sustain NEA's vision for safe, just, and equitable schools for every student, educator, parent/guardian, and community.
Gun Violence Prevention
Responding to Gun Violence
We Can Change This: Educators Take On Gun Violence
‘Help Us Stop the Attacks’: Educators Urge Action on Gun Violence
Strategies for Effective Health and Safety Dialogue
The NEA Health and Safety Program partnered with the Right Question Institute and the Brown School of Public Health to support families, educators, and students with strategies for effective communication around health and safety issues. This page contains a training module—Pathways for Effective School-Family Partnerships: A Strategy for Productive School Health and Safety Dialogue—that can be used by individuals or by groups.
Educator Safety and Wellness Resources
Make Educator Well-Being a Priority Now
Bargaining and Advocacy Tactics to Support Educators' Mental Health
Healthy Buildings & Systems
Resources to Support Students
Five Things that Behavioral Specialists Want You to Know
Trauma-Informed Practices
Restorative Practices
Whole Student Education
Supporting Students with Differing Abilities
How Schools and Educators Can Combat Human Trafficking
Professional Learning Resources
One of the most important things you can do as an educator is to educate yourself about bullying in our schools. NEA provides multiple professional learning opportunities for our members, on topics including "Creating Bully-Free Environments in Structured Environments," "Cyberbullying/Cyber Security," and many more.
Designed for all members, particularly those committed to addressing bias around sexual orientation and gender identity, this program teaches school personnel how to create a safe school climate for students and staff.
In this micro-credential course, you will focus on CASEL’s five core social and emotional competencies. You will also learn strategies for developing personal social and emotional competencies that deepen your personal and professional awareness.
SchoolMe Podcasts
Our podcasts empower educators and experts to use their years of experience and wisdom to help you get the most out of your career in education. Listen to the episodes below or view the complete list of episodes.
