The School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) is a nationally representative survey of elementary and secondary school principals that serves as the primary source of school-level data on crime and safety in public schools, and was conducted in 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2016, 2018, and 2020 (OMB# 1850-0761). Four years separated the first two collections of SSOCS to allow for sufficient time to study the results of the first survey and to allow for necessary redesign work; the next three collections were conducted at 2-year intervals. Due to a reorganization of the sponsoring agency (the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools) and funding issues, the 2012 administration of SSOCS, although approved by OMB, was not fielded. With new funding available through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), SSOCS was conducted again in the spring of the 2015â16 school year. With continued dedicated funding, SSOCS has resumed collection on a biennial basis, with collections during the spring of the 2017â18 and the 2019â20 school years, and the next planned collection during the spring of the 2021â22 school year.
SSOCS is a survey of public schools covering the topic of school crime and violence and is designed to produce nationally representative data on public schools. Historically, it has been conducted by mail, with telephone and e-mail follow-up; however, as an experiment, an Internet version was fielded during the SSOCS:2018 administration. For SSOCS:2020, the Internet version was initially offered to all respondents, with the paper version sent via mail as a follow-up, and the same methodology will be used for SSOCS:2022. The respondent is the school principal, or a member of the school staff designated by the principal as the person âthe most knowledgeable about school crime and policies to provide a safe environment.â
The 2022 survey is being funded by the U.S. Department of Educationâs Office of Safe and Supportive Schools (previously known as the Office of Safe and Healthy Students) and conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), within the U.S. Department of Education. As with prior SSOCS collections, NCES has entered into an interagency agreement with the Census Bureau to administer the 2022 collection.
This request is to conduct the 2022 administration of the School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS). As part of SSOCS:2022 development, cognitive testing on new COVID-19 pandemic items will be conducted during the winter and spring of 2021, scheduled to be completed in late-spring 2021. The wording and design of these items may be modified in response to the findings of this testing and, as such, will be updated in a change request, tentatively scheduled for October 2021.
US Code:
20 USC 9573
Name of Law: Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
SSOCS 2022 Communication Change Memo v22.docx
SSOCS 2022 Communication Change Sheet v22.pdf
2022 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS:2022)