2025 School Safety Training Forum

The focus of “Virginia Rules” is on the criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on how Virginia laws apply to youth under 18. Virginia Rules will educate young Virginians about the law and help them develop skills needed to make sound decisions, to avoid breaking laws, and to become active citizens of their schools and communities. These Standards of Learning (SOL)-correlated lessons are designed for middle and high school students. Virginia Rules offers a comprehensive website with law-related resources and tools geared for students, parents, and instructors. From the website, instructors can access and download lessons with student worksheets, student topical handouts, and supplemental materials. This training is intended for teachers, school administrators, school resource officers (SROs), and school security officers (SSOs) serving middle and high school age youth.

The focus of “Virginia Rules” is on the criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on how Virginia laws apply to youth under 18. Virginia Rules will educate young Virginians about the law and help them develop skills needed to make sound decisions, to avoid breaking laws, and to become active citizens of their schools and communities. These Standards of Learning (SOL)-correlated lessons are designed for middle and high school students. Virginia Rules offers a comprehensive website with law-related resources and tools geared for students, parents, and instructors. From the website, instructors can access and download lessons with student worksheets, student topical handouts, and supplemental materials. This training is intended for teachers, school administrators, school resource officers (SROs), and school security officers (SSOs) serving middle and high school age youth.

Do people perform better when they feel safe? Using data from the DCJS School Survey of Climate and Working Conditions and Virginia Department of Education Standards of Learning Test Results, this presentation demonstrates an observable relationship between the perceptions of safety reported by students, classroom instructors, and staff in Virginia schools and the academic performance of students at those schools.