School staff in Burlingame and Hillsborough can begin signing up for a new round of safety trainings that kicks off Friday, July 31, less than three weeks before students return for the fall semester.

The San Mateo County Office of Education posted the 2026 School Safety Training Series on Thursday, July 30, offering nine sessions running through Tuesday, September 29. Topics include wildfire evacuation planning, behavioral threat assessment, and Stop the Bleed first-aid response.

Both the Burlingame School District and Hillsborough City School District are listed as relevant districts in the announcement.

What starts Friday

Two sessions open the series on July 31. The first is a Big Five 2026-27 Update Training for already-certified trainers, covering new laws affecting the protocol, including wildfire evacuation and emergency communications planning. The second is a Wildfire Preparedness Planning session for site leaders in high or very high fire hazard zones, covering new wildfire response protocols, a decision-making guide, and communication planning.

The Big Five is the countywide emergency response protocol adopted by all 23 San Mateo County school districts and local law enforcement. Created by the Coalition for Safe Schools and Communities, it standardizes how schools, first responders, and parents communicate during emergencies. The protocol is now being adopted by other counties across California.

Key dates before and after school starts

The Burlingame and Hillsborough school year opens Wednesday, August 19. The series runs nine sessions total. Here's what falls before and after that date:

  • Thursday, August 6 — Big Five 2026-27 Update Training (virtual) for out-of-county Big Five trainers, 2 to 4 p.m.
  • Tuesday, August 18 — Big Five School Team Training for site and district safety teams, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at SMCOE in Redwood City. Covers hazard responses, trauma-informed practices, student release guidance, incident command, and tabletop exercises.
  • Wednesday, August 19 — Student Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) Level 1 Team Training. Covers risk factors for targeted school violence, identifying students of concern, conducting interviews, and completing the Level 1 Threat Assessment Protocol.
  • Wednesday, September 9 — Stop the Bleed, teaching staff to recognize and control life-threatening bleeding. Also: a Big Five introduction for new and returning staff.
  • Tuesday, September 15 — Identifying Students of Concern, a BTAM overview session.
  • Tuesday, September 29 — Big Five for after-school and on-campus program staff.

Background

SMCOE's Safe and Supportive Schools program organizes the series. The office, led by County Superintendent Marco Chávez since February, supports more than 84,000 students across 23 districts.

When SMCOE was named Medium County Office of the Year by the California County Superintendents in October 2025, Jake Wolf, assistant secretary for Emergency Services and Sustainability, cited the Big Five as a model: "Superintendent Magee's unwavering commitment to a culture of safety and disaster preparedness across all educational institutions in San Mateo County has created a model for the region, as well as school systems statewide and beyond," Wolf said at the time.

Registration for all sessions is through Eventbrite via the SMCOE announcement page. No cost or capacity limits were listed in the posting.