Safety is a basic human need. When a student does not feel safe, supporting them in reaching their full potential cannot be achieved. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs displays this phenomenon through an illustration of a pyramid. Safety sits at the broad base of the pyramid with food, water, and shelter–the foundation upon which all other needs and growth opportunities rest. As gun violence continues to occur in and around schools, and the phenomenon becomes a focal point of mass media, communities are faced with an increasingly difficult challenge: figuring out how to keep students physically safe without inadvertently traumatizing them in the process.

Over the last year we met with students; conducted desk research; identified and connected with thought partners in child psychology, architecture, behavioral science, and education; and engaged our local educator community in design sessions. We learned a lot. And of course emerged with more questions than answers. 

This year we are taking these insights and questions and turning them into actionable ideas by launching a Reimagining School Safety Fellowship aimed at prototyping and testing ideas in response to the following design challenge: 

How might we improve students’ emotional, physical, and mental safety in the wake of school gun violence?

We will build on the insights we gleaned over the last year to create a series of prototypes that will be tested within educational communities. Our design principles include building on communities’ existing strengths, attending to both physical danger and the growing culture of fear surrounding school shootings, and considering how systemic inequities impact these complex challenges. We are looking at many possible areas of impact, including redesigning active shooter drills, designing rituals that create a sense of belonging for isolated students, and inexpensive physical changes that can be made to school buildings. 

Throughout the fall we will be running design sprints to continue our learning and iterate on our designs. In the winter, we will run a course that partners Stanford students with a local K-8 school to continue this exploration and learning cycle. By the close of the year, we will publicly share new approaches to help communities reimagine safety in their schools.