The primary target audience for these guidelines is the school administrator responsible for overall school or district policies or responsible for one or more components of school health and safety at the school site or district level. Undoubtedly, many others who play a role in the assessment, planning, or improvement of school health and safety programs or in advocacy efforts related to school health and safety programs will also find these guidelines helpful. These include school health professionals, educators, school board members, parents, other community members (including transportation officials and child advocates), legislators at all levels, professionals in government departments (e.g., education, health, safety, transportation, justice, and labor), and students themselves.

Many schools and districts have practices and policies in place that are consistent with guidelines recommended in this collection. Most schools will find many of the remaining guidelines easy to adopt. For some guidelines, however, a school or district might not find the guidelines feasible in the short-term, given resource limitations, but will include them in their planning.

Often, documents designed as recommendations are misused as standards or measures of basic quality, particularly when no other written standards exist. Some guidelines represent minimum standards for safety and health while others represent the optimum. Each community, with the help of its own health, safety, mental health, and educational experts and community members, can and should decide which guidelines are basic, which do not apply, and which to work toward. This collection of guidelines can help community and school leaders determine the breadth of school health, mental health, and safety issues and set priorities for future actions. The Health, Mental Health and Safety Guidelines should not be used as a tool for punitive measures or legal threats.

This compendium of guidelines draws upon other published guidelines on specific components of school health and safety programs as well as on overall coordination of these programs. It provides references to these other sources, most of which provide more description and detail than are included in this document. Interested readers should refer to the referenced guidelines and standards for additional information and details.

It is hoped that these guidelines will stimulate and invigorate discussions of methods that schools and districts can use to operationalize health and safety objectives outlined here. It is not unreasonable to expect that this compendium will inspire further publications that describe model programs, provide technical assistance, and uncover best practices so that schools and school districts can attain the intended purpose of each guideline.