Act 55 Training Templates Available in Comply!

The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Act 55 of 2022 mandated new school safety and security training requirements for all school employees. Prior to the passage of Act 55, school safety and security training was limited to three hours of instruction every five years. Act 55 now requires employees to complete two hours of training annually, plus one hour of training on emergency drills and recognition of concerning behaviors.

In response to the Act 55 training requirements, Edulink has incorporated school safety and security training templates into our Comply State Mandates and Compliance Tracking Software. These templates enable Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to easily assign, track, and manage employee training requirements, with direct links to the applicable courses. Upon course completion, Comply also provides a seamless method for submitting earned Act 48 hours directly to PERMS, helping simplify compliance and recordkeeping.

Provided below are the requirements outlined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education:

PDE Requirements

Act 55 requires all school employees to complete two hours of training annually on one or more of the following school safety and security topics:

• • Situational Awareness
  • Trauma-Informed Approaches
  • Behavioral Health Awareness
  • Suicide and Bullying Awareness
  • Substance Use Awareness
  • Situational Awareness: Observation, Awareness, Response (NEW)
  • Behavioral Health Awareness: Recognize, Respond, Support (NEW)
  • Behavioral Health Awareness: Understanding Anxiety and Depression at School (NEW)
  • Substance Use Awareness: Noticing Signs, Supporting Students (NEW)

In addition, one hour of annual training is required for all school employees on the following topics:

• • Emergency training drills (including fire, natural disaster, active shooter, hostage situation, and bomb threat)
  • Identification or recognition of student behavior that may indicate a threat to the safety of the student, other students, school employees, other individuals, school facilities, or the community.

Act 55 mandates that training be provided by school entities based on the needs of that LEA. Needs may vary depending upon the location and size of the entity.

New Standards

In accordance with Act 55, the School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) has developed standards as a baseline for what must be included in each of the required topical training courses. For more information on these standards, see School Safety and Security Training Standards for School Employees. To comply with these standards, school employees must be able to identify their own school entity’s policies and procedures related to each topic.

New (Free) Trainings

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) and School Safety and SSSC have the responsibility of developing and providing training that is free of charge to school entities, and meets the standards outlined in Act 55. As these trainings are released, they will be available on the PCCD School Safety and Security Training website. Links to these trainings are available in our Act 55 templates.

Edulink is committed to making mandated trainings easy to implement, manage, and track. As your needs and PDE requirements continue to evolve, Comply will continue evolve with them. To learn more about how Comply can help you facilitate these required training courses, contact us, or visit our Comply web page!