As authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP) provides formula funds to implement state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs or initiatives, including, but not limited to, extreme risk protection order programs that work to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others, mental health courts, drug courts, and veterans treatment courts.

Description of the Project.

Alaska community citizens, school administration, staff, and students need awareness of the modern approach to appropriate response protocols to school safety and cybersecurity challenges. With congressional appropriation support, the Alaska Safe Communities and Schools project follows eight steps to improve the safety and wellness of schools and communities while enhancing the security of valuable assets.

1. Increase awareness and Train employees: Community teams will be trained on security policies, procedures, and best practices for protecting an individual’s social, emotional, physical, and mental well-being in a supportive school learning environment. The training will increase mindfulness of the five C’s of Safety—consciousness, compassion, confidence, courage, and community—for students, families, educators, and community members.

2. Establish a Safe Community and Schools Leadership Team: The project will identify the critical stakeholders responsible for implementing the Safe Communities and Schools project. The team will include the selected community representatives of the tribal office, project manager, district superintendent, safety officer, mental health representatives, interagency safety providers, and project evaluator. A leadership team will determine what “safe and secure” means locally in each community.

3. Conduct a security assessment: Each school district will train a safety officer to perform a security assessment. The assessor will review existing policies and procedures, assess physical security measures, and evaluate the effectiveness of applying new techniques to current safety and security issues. The assessment will identify areas of vulnerability and guide the development of a comprehensive security program that values and protects the student population's equity, dignity, and potential.

4. Develop a security plan: A statewide Interagency team will develop the foundation for a quick-reference Critical Incident Response Playbook. Following each school district’s Vulnerability and Risk Assessment, sites will update and expand the safety component of the playbook as required by AS 14.33.100. The plan will become a roadmap for project implementation, listing timelines and milestones.

5. Prioritize initiatives: Throughout the project, the focus is on continuous awareness and analysis as the community continues to enhance what “safe and secure” means to them. The project engages students, families, educators, staff, and the community to identify and prioritize goals, objectives, and activities.

6. Implement physical/technology solutions: The project focused intensely on district implementation of technology and physical solutions to safety concerns, such as integrated solutions, access control systems, video surveillance, intrusion detection systems, and others.

7. Develop policies and procedures: Districts will design community-centered policies, procedures, and practices sensitive to safety, equity, and dignity.

8. Monitor and evaluate: A leadership team of vested organizations will monitor and evaluate the program's effectiveness and adjust it as necessary. Regular security assessments will be conducted, incident reports reviewed, and feedback from employees and stakeholders will be collected and considered.

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Goal 1: Strengthen Community Connections (Byrne SCIP Priority 3)
Enhance collaboration among organizations in the community through culturally relevant
strategies for violence prevention, substance misuse prevention, and suicide prevention, aiming
for a 100% safer community and school. This will be measured by pre- and post-surveys, focus
group interviews, and behavior/discipline records.
Objective 1: Increase awareness of threats and appropriate responses in communities and
schools.
• The project Leadership Team will meet regularly with the University of Alaska, local law
enforcement, and crisis intervention specialists.
• Engage with M.C. Kimball and Associates, LLC, to provide training on 360-degree site
safety audit that promotes community awareness.

• Provide training on Threat Vulnerability Assessments, including analysis and Crisis
Prevention Through Environmental Design analysis.
• Gather community input on safety recommendations and solutions.
• Prioritize safety concerns and potential solutions.

• Update and enhance the state-required District School Crisis Plan.
• Schedule two statewide training opportunities for community and school teams.

• Provide training to integrate lessons from "We’ve Got Your Back," focusing on culturally
and linguistically relevant safety best practices and environmental assessments.
Objective 2: Foster mindfulness of the five C’s of Safety (Consciousness, Compassion,
Confidence, Courage, and Community) among families and community members.
• Implement "We’ve Got Your Back," a program based on evidence from the FBI,
Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and the U.S. Department of Education, which
emphasizes that "duck and cover" is not an appropriate response to an Active
Shooter/Violent Intruder event.

• Utilize DEED’s Transforming Schools: A Framework for Trauma Engaged Practice in
Alaska.

• Train safety officers to instruct communities and schools on the "Elements of Safety and
Situational Awareness."

• Equip safety officers to promote conscious, spatial, informed, and sensory awareness
among the community, schools, and students.
Goal 2: Create resources to support rural Alaska communities and organizations in crisis
awareness and intervention (Byrne SCIP Priority 1,2, 3, & 4)
Create resources for community members and schools in strategies to foster a safe environment
through increased community crisis intervention awareness for at-risk community members. The
goal is to increase the sense of safety by 80%, as measured by pre- and post-surveys, focus group
interviews, School Climate and Connectedness survey results, and the reduction of incidents of
crisis-related disciplinary actions.
Objective 1: Develop training resources for community members, school staff, and students in
crisis awareness and prevention.
• Develop a community presentation outlining key safety features.

• Develop mini-lessons and badges on intervention strategies that address at-risk youth and
behavior deflection that resonate with community members and students.
• Utilize a subcommittee of the Leadership Team to employ tools such as the RACI
Matrix, Program Charter, and Dashboard for Program Management, and create a risk
register to identify and analyze potential issues.

• Offer web-based independent training focused on crisis intervention for youth in crisis.
• Perform a Policy Gap Analysis, delivering necessary policy and procedure updates,
monthly reporting, and program status synchronization with results from Goal 1.
• Provide detailed workstream forecasts, including threat models, trends, concerns, and
community-specific updates.
• Update community, family, and elders on monitoring, recognizing youth in crisis, and
encouraging safe intervention strategies.
• Provide training to recognize and address bullying and harassment disproportionately
impacting people with disabilities.
Objective 2: Develop a Comprehensive Intervention Framework

• Using University of Alaska resources and crisis intervention experts, develop a statewide
intervention plan that addresses community crisis and school at-risk youth across the
state, including fifty-two school districts and over five hundred public and private
schools.

• Ensure the framework incorporates cultural and community-specific needs, particularly
for rural Alaska Native communities, where the majority of the population resides in
small communities.

Objective 3: Develop a Crisis Intervention Handbook to support rural Alaskan communities and
schools.

Communities will create community-centered policies, procedures, and practices that prioritize

safety, equity, and dignity. This initiative incorporates these protocols into a community-
customized, easily accessible Alaska Crisis Intervention Handbook. This handbook will include

the resources identified during collaboration with interagency organizations and during the state-
wide workshops.

Goal 3: Disseminate Safety-Promoting Information (Byrne SCIP Priority 1, 2, 3 & 4)
Enhance community and school safety and well-being throughout Alaska by implementing the

Alaska Crisis Intervention Handbook plan and associated materials to disseminate safety-
promoting information via digital platforms. This initiative will ensure that members of rural

communities and schools have access to culturally relevant safety resources, including
information on safe gun storage and gun locks. Ultimately, this network of common protocols
and reference materials will foster stronger connections between Alaska agencies, school
districts, schools and their communities while enhancing safety for all.
Objective 1: Enhance Community Mindfulness and Awareness

• Increase community members’ mindfulness and understanding of compassion,
confidence, courage, and the importance of community through training initiatives
conducted in schools and community outreach.
• Provide materials that promote safe, healthy, and supportive environments.

• Offer forums and online resources throughout the year to reinforce community safety
including the proper handling of firearms and gun storage.

• Collaborate with community leaders, tribal council members, and youth leaders to equip
them with resources and encourage ongoing community service.
Objective 2: Implement a Comprehensive Intervention Framework

• Using University of Alaska resources and crisis intervention experts, implement a
statewide intervention plan that addresses community crisis and school at-risk youth
across the state, including fifty-two school districts and over five hundred public and
private schools.

• Ensure the framework incorporates cultural and community-specific needs, particularly
for rural Alaska Native communities, where the majority of the population resides in
small communities.

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Objective 3: Strengthen Engagement and Improve Safety Awareness

• Collaborate with local organizations to build a network of support that engages families
and community members.

• Facilitate training sessions to prepare community members as first responders,
recognizing their critical role in interventions and emergency preparedness.

• Provide asynchronous online training for community leaders, school supervisors, and
safety officers through a Safety Supervisor/Security Officer course.
• Conduct outreach initiatives to enhance safety awareness, encourage participation in
community safety projects, and perform regular assessments, such as safety audits and
focus group interviews, to measure the effectiveness of these efforts and adapt strategies
accordingly.
• Distribute information to community members through approved communication
methods.