A month after the U.S. Surgeon General declared gun violence a public health crisis, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appointed NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe as the chair of the External Advisory Board (EAB) for the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse. As chair, Nozoe will work closely with the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) School Safety Task Force to inform strategy and goals. 

“I’m deeply honored to serve as chair of the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse External Advisory Board,” said NASSP CEO Ronn Nozoe. “What makes this initiative truly special is the unprecedented collaboration between federal agencies, school safety and violence prevention experts, and the inclusion of voices from the frontlines of education—school leaders, educators and students. By bringing together this diverse group of stakeholders, we’re creating a powerful team that will drive real, positive change in school safety. This is how we make a lasting difference—by working together and ensuring that those most affected by these issues have a seat at the table.” 

The Clearinghouse is an interagency effort among the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), DHS and Justice (DOJ). The Clearinghouse serves as an ongoing and coordinated effort that includes regular interagency review of evidence-based content and recommended best practices to keep schools safe, as well as the curation and distribution of resources, guidance and tools for school communities across the country. The Clearinghouse is administered by the School Safety Task Force (SSTF) within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). The Luke and Alex School Safety Act (LASSA) within the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) requires DHS to establish an external advisory board to provide feedback and recommendations for the Clearinghouse. The DHS Secretary, in coordination with the Education and HHS Secretaries and the U.S. Attorney General, established the EAB.