The SRS Framework is the basis for a school based planning and discipline reform process that is described in the SRS Guide. Below the Guide is described.

Purpose of the Guide
The purpose of the Guide is to provide assistance to schools in using the Safe and Responsive Schools Framework to assess, plan and implement efforts to address school violence prevention, discipline reform and behavior improvement. It outlines a detailed process schools can follow to assess their current activities, gather and analyze needed information, and develop a comprehensive plan. It also assists schools in taking steps to implement their plan. The Guide is intended to provide a stand-alone set of procedures and information for a school to engage in such a planning and implementation process. The Guide can be accessed under SRS Products.

What is included in the Guide?
The Guide provides a brief overview about school violence and discipline, describes the Safe and Responsive Schools (SRS) Framework, and provides instructions for creating and operating a school-based team. It suggests topics for discussion, data which might be gathered, information to be considered, and a process to create a Safe and Responsive School Plan. It includes sample schedules, agendas, procedures for the team and facilitator, examples of products to be created, as well as suggestions for obtaining resource materials and more information.

How is the Guide organized?
The Guide is comprised of three sections:

Section I: Overview and SRS Framework
This section provides an overview of the uses for, and the contents of the Guide. The overview tries to identify and answer some questions such as who the Guide is intended for, how it might be used, and how it fits with other related activities in a school. In addition this section provides a detailed description of the Safe and Responsive School “Framework”. This Framework or model is the structure on which the planning process and resources of the Guide are based.

Section II: The Process Guide
This section provides the information necessary to lead the team through the stages of a strategic planning process. Step by step guidance is given on carrying out and interpreting a needs assessment related to behavior, discipline and violence prevention. It includes creating vision and mission statements, gathering a variety of information, reviewing best practices, and developing, implementing and evaluating a school plan.

Section III: The Resource Guide
Although our knowledge of violence prevention is growing and changing, there are many implementation options available to schools. The Resource Guide provides school teams with a brief orientation on how to gather information and research about emerging topics related to violence prevention and behavior interventions. This will permit schools to find and employ the most current research available when making decisions about program implementation.

It also provides the necessary tools for your team to develop a SRS Plan including reproducible copies of the four SRS Safe Schools Surveys (i.e., Elementary Student, Secondary Student, Staff, and Parent) and the SRS Practices & Programs Inventory, as well as strategic planning worksheets to guide the team through the process of developing, implementing, and evaluating a school specific plan. This section also provides sample plans, meeting schedules, agendas and other materials.

The Resource Guide is comprised of three sections organized by the three tiers of intervention in the SRS Framework. Each section will have a brief overview, and an outline of the many of the intervention topics that might be included at a particular level of intervention. Where available, fact sheets will provide an overview of that topic, a summary of the current status of research on the topic, and key issues in implementation of that idea. The Fact Sheets typically include contact information and web links to a variety materials or report related to the fact sheet topic.