The Texas School Safety Center’s School Safety Spotlight Program is designed to recognize and promote schools, districts, junior colleges, and individuals that foster education and learning through safe and secure campuses.

We want to hear what you, your school, district, junior college, or colleagues, are doing to make a difference in our campuses and communities as it relates to safety and security. To recognize the creativity and diversity of Texas schools, junior colleges, programming, and personnel, the School Safety Spotlight Program has five categories from which nominations can be made.

past winners
    Categories for Nominations
  1. Collaborative Community Partnerships

    Innovative programs that establish or maintain collaborative, working relationships between your school, junior college, and a community partner(s). These partnerships go beyond what is required in law, and may influence planning, implementation, response, or recovery efforts.
    Examples include but are not limited to programs or approaches that ensure schools and/or junior colleges are included in local and regional emergency plans and offer guidance and assistance to schools and/or junior colleges in planning, drilling, exercising, and with safety audits.

  2. Staff Development and Training

    Safety and security awareness training programs that raise staff awareness and provide additional education beyond what is required by law.
    Examples include but are not limited to subject specific programs that educate and encourage competence in areas such as suicide prevention, bully prevention, access control, intruder assessments, assistance with drills and exercises, community awareness, and an emergency management program that engages multiple stakeholders in required drills and exercises.

  3. Positive Climate and Prevention Programs

    Programs that are integrative and holistic. These programs recognize a current safety and security issue in a campus, and then go above-and-beyond to address it. These programs involve the campus and outside community to go beyond legislative requirements and improve overall climate and prevention.
    Examples include but are not limited to programs that integrate students, parents and staff to create and maintain a positive climate by engaging in strategies such as the prevention of bullying, cyber bullying, suicide, dating violence, gang involvement, and substance use.

  4. Student-Led Groups or Programs

    Programs that allow students to take leadership roles in creating and promoting a safe and secure environment that encourages positive peer interactions.
    Examples include but are not limited to mentoring programs, peer-to-peer collaboration, and youth/adult preparedness programs that bring students and adults together to aid communities.

  5. Outstanding Individual Service

    Individual who has achieved or made a significant contribution to safety and security through their personal initiative, commitment, strong advocacy efforts, and leadership.
    Examples include but are not limited to an individual that provides leadership in safety and security initiatives within the campus or community or an individual that demonstrates leadership in safety and security in times of emergency. This could also be a teacher, professor, counselor, administrator, law enforcement officer, or other support staff that consistently makes a difference in safety and security or in providing a positive learning environment.

past winners

The Texas School Safety Center will recognize the top scoring submission from each category in our quarterly newsletter, as well as on our social media platforms. Nominations are submitted on a rolling basis, and reviewed according to the schedule below:

  • Fall

    Submissions between
    Sept 1, 2023 - Oct 31, 2023
    Reviewed by Nov 8, 2023

  • Spring

    Submissions between
    Nov 1, 2023 - Mar 31, 2024
    Reviewed by Apr 14, 2024

All nominations submitted between September 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024 will be considered for recognition at the Texas School Safety Center’s School Safety Conference held in June in San Antonio, Texas.

If your nomination is selected, you will be notified following the review date.

    Submissions will be reviewed based on the following criteria which should be clearly addressed in your submission:

  • Knowledge
    Is the program, group, or individual providing a high degree of insight and knowledge about safety and security issues?
  • Creativity and Originality
    Is the program, group, or individual using unique, innovative approaches to address safety and security?
  • Engagement
    To what degree does the program, group, or individual engage and involve students, staff, and community partners in creating a safer environment?
  • Impact
    To what degree does the program, group, or individual influence and shape safety and security measures within the school, junior college, or district?
  • Evidence-Based Practices
    Does the program, group, or individual use evidence-based practices that can be readily found on a national best practice registry to address safety and security issues? Are assessment and evaluation processes implemented consistently?

If you have questions regarding this program, please contact Ammy Cathey at alc354@txstate.edu or (512) 245-5841.

Nomination Submission Form