Step 1: Understanding Your Audience

A school board determines the strategic direction, goals and policies for how schools function within a school district. The board typically consists of 3-15 members who are elected and work closely with a superintendent. School boards are responsible for many factors that shape students’ educational experience, from overseeing school budgets and approving curriculum to ensuring compliance with state and federal laws. School board members are meant to act as a voice for their community in determining the direction of public education in their school district.

When it comes to school and gun safety, your school board’s job is to keep all students and employees in the district safe. School boards can drive considerable improvements in safety, resource allocation and student well-being across the district. They make decisions that affect virtually all facets of the school environment, making them important in the process of demanding systematic improvements in school and gun safety.

Prior to meeting with a member of your school board, it is worthwhile to get an understanding of what safety policies already exist across your school district. Often these are available on the website for the school district. It may also be worthwhile to acquaint yourself with the individual members themselves and their own objectives and priorities by watching prior school board meetings and researching their work.

Building a long-term relationship with your school board members is essential, as advocacy is not as effective in a single meeting. You may want to meet with school board members individually rather than requesting a meeting with the entire school board to build a more personal connection. Remember, these are members of your community who usually are elected and therefore rely upon your support at election time. They are inclined to listen to you. Focus on relating to your school board members by sharing your personal story and how gun violence impacts your community. If this is your first time broaching this topic (or even meeting) with a member of your school board, you might consider starting with an introductory 1:1 call or meeting with them to get a basic understanding of all they currently do to promote school and gun safety.

Step 2: Preparing for Your Conversation

When you’re ready to facilitate a meeting with a member of your school board, reach out to them by finding their contact information on your school district’s website or calling your school district to schedule a meeting. Prior to meeting with any school employee, it’s important to review the school district’s website and any resources the district has sent to families on the topic of school safety to familiarize yourself with the work already underway. It’s also important to review evidence-proven strategies for reducing school shootings. Consider also inviting other community members to join the meeting. This could include other concerned parents, teachers, counselors, resource officers and even students. Bringing a diverse group will not only emphasize the importance of school safety in the community but also show the school board that they have a group willing to support them in advancing the district’s safety measures.

Prepare and send an agenda to the participants prior to the meeting, especially to the school board member(s). Make sure to review PTA's official positions on this topic for language you can use in your conversations. Ideally, the agenda should include topics for discussion and questions you have related to school safety. An agenda template is provided in another tab of this blueprint that you can tailor to meet the needs and objectives of you and your community.

Step 3: Discussion and Further Action

Remember that this conversation is an opportunity to provide feedback and build a relationship with your school board around school and gun safety issues. Take notes, ask questions, listen closely and commit to continued conversation, collaboration and action alongside your school board.

There are many ways you can collaborate with your school board beyond this initial conversation on school safety. Consider suggesting these relatively simple next steps:

• Schedule another meeting, perhaps bringing in more families from the community or other important voices like teachers or students.

• Invite your school board members to speak at a PTA meeting to share existing school safety measures, discuss gun violence reduction strategies and elicit feedback from families on this issue.

• Ask your school board members to prioritize school and gun safety in their upcoming board meetings, in their strategic plans and in regular communications with families. If possible, offer to help gather resources to share in those communications, particularly around gun safety.

Or consider these more complex, next steps:

• Urge your school board to adopt a formal resolution that adopts meaningful gun safety, school safety and violence prevention measures. For example, you can encourage passage of a resolution promoting secure firearm storage.

• Write a letter to the editor of your local paper or speak at an upcoming school board meeting advocating for specific school and gun safety measures.

• Encourage your school board to establish a school safety and gun violence prevention task force or host a district-wide survey to gather feedback from community members.

• Work with your school board to help secure more local, state, and federal funding to address school safety needs and participate in the annual district budget process.

Sample Meeting Agenda

Below are some sample questions you might consider discussing during a meeting with your school board. Feel free to customize these questions to meet your community’s needs.

• Introductions. Briefly share who is in attendance, what their role is and their relationship to the school district. 

• Personal Story. Explain why the issue of school and gun safety is important to you and/or share a brief (1-2 minute) story about your experience with this issue. Personal stories not only increase credibility but are often memorable and compelling and will underscore the importance of your requests later in the meeting. Board members likely will not remember every statistic you share, but they will remember how you made them feel. 

• Current Safety Policies and Protocols. What specific safety measures—broadly and around gun safety in particular—are currently in place in our district? How often are the district’s safety protocols reviewed and updated? How are they monitored or assessed for effectiveness? Are there any plans to implement new gun safety initiatives or programs in the upcoming school year? If so, what are they? 

• Community Information. What role does the school district play in informing parents about what they can do to reduce gun violence on school grounds? For instance, given that three-quarters of school shooters acquired their firearm from the home of a parent or close relative, has the school district considered sending information home on secure storage?

• School Climate an Student Support Services. What role do you see school climate and student discipline playing in school safety? Do you support restorative justice, positive school discipline and alternative dispute resolution techniques over the detention, exclusion or incarceration of youth?  

• Physical Safety. Do you support increasing the physical security of school buildings? How do you aim to do this without undermining the school environment or causing psychological harm through ineffective trainings, lockdowns or responses to false threats of violence? What measures specifically do you support to protect schools from firearm-related and other forms of violence?

• Budget Allocation for Safety Measures. How is the district currently allocating funds for school and gun safety, including mental health services, security personnel and emergency preparedness? Are there opportunities to increase funding for safety initiatives, particularly in areas like mental health support or preventative programs? How does the board prioritize funding for safety compared to other district needs, and how can parents advocate for more resources in this area? 

• Emergency Operations Plans. Is there an Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) for the school district, and if so, could we see a copy? In what ways do families participate in this plan? Will the EOP be shared with families at the beginning of the school year? When will families have an opportunity to provide feedback on the plan?

• Community and Parental Involvement in Safety Planning. How can parents and community members be more involved in the district’s school and gun safety planning and decision-making processes? Would the board be open to establishing a school and gun safety advisory committee that includes parents, students and other stakeholders? How can the board ensure diverse voices from the community are heard and considered in safety-related decisions?

• Transparency and Communication. How does the school board communicate safety policies and updates to parents, students and staff? What steps can be taken to improve transparency around school and gun safety decisions and to ensure the community is kept informed? Can the board commit to providing regular updates on safety initiatives, including challenges and progress?

• Recovery. What is the protocol for supporting staff and students after a school safety incident in the district? Who are the personnel that provide support to traumatized or grieving students? What channels can students and staff use to seek out more support?

• After/Outside School. What programs are in place in the district—or special measures taken—to keep kids safe on their way to school, during summers, after school and in extracurricular activities outside of school?

• Data. Do you have any data you can share on safety in our school district? Do you have any data you can share on the social and emotional well-being of the students and educators in the school district? 

• Budget. In what ways does the budget for the school district invest in school and gun safety? Can you walk us through the line items in this year’s budget that you think contribute to school safety? Will there be an opportunity for families to give feedback on next year’s budget? If you had limitless funding, what else would you spend money on to further promote school safety and well-being? How can we and other families help you secure this funding?

• Long-Term Safety Strategies. What is the board’s vision for long-term school and gun safety, and how does it align with the district’s overall goals? How does the board plan to address emerging school safety concerns, such as those related to gun violence, cyber threats or mental health crises? What role can parents play in supporting the development and implementation of these long-term strategies? 

• Thank You & Next Steps. 

Checklist for Working with School Boards on School Safety

• Review the school district’s publicly available school and gun safety information (see Step 1).

• Develop a trust-based relationship with your school board members (see Step 1).

• Schedule a meeting with your school board member(s) (see Step 2).

• Draft and distribute an agenda in advance of the meeting (see Step 2).

• Assemble a list of school and gun safety related questions, concerns and requests (see Step 2). If helpful, use the resources listed below.

• Meet with your school board member(s) (see  Step 3 and PTA’s helpful tool).

• Commit to next steps with your school board member(s) (see Step 3).