The New Standard Is Here: 2026 CSSS Safety Manuals Now Available
Nationally aligned safety manuals supporting sound professional judgment, developmental alignment, and safer hands-on learning in K-12 Science, STEM, and CTE.
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These manuals were developed through a collaborative effort led by Safer STEM, bringing together nationally recognized expertise in science safety, education, and implementation. The Council of State Science Supervisors, Rutgers University, and Ward’s Science played a critical role in both the development and rigorous peer review of these materials, ensuring they are accurate, relevant, and grounded in real-world practice. The result is a research-informed, practitioner-validated foundation designed to support safer, more consistent STEM instructional spaces across K–12 education.
The 2026 CSSS Manuals
The latest edition of the Council of State Science Supervisors (CSSS) safety manuals has officially launched, marking the first major update in six years.
This release represents more than a revision. It reflects a fundamental shift in how safety is understood, implemented, and sustained across K–12 science, STEM, and CTE instructional spaces.
Led by Safer STEM, these updated manuals establish a modern, research-based foundation for safer teaching and learning, aligned to today’s realities.
Why This Update Matters
In the past six years, science, STEM, and CTE instruction have evolved rapidly:
New technologies have entered classrooms
- Instructional models have expanded beyond traditional labs
- Student needs and learning environments have become more complex
Yet many safety systems have not kept pace.
Too often, safety is still influenced by:
- Individual interpretation
- Legacy practices
- Inconsistent training and oversight
The result? Variability and unnecessary risk.
The 2026 CSSS manuals address this directly by replacing inconsistency with clarity, alignment, and system-wide expectations.
What's New in the 2026 Manual
This updated series introduces a comprehensive, integrated approach to safety:
A System of Manuals, Not a Single Document
- Elementary STEM (K-5)
- Middle School STEM
- High School Science
- High School CTE
Expanded Supplemental Guidance
- AI in STEM: Supporting Safer Decisions
- Instruction During Disruption (including pandemic readiness)
- Remote and Non-Traditional Learning Environments
Built for Implementation
- Grounded in law and aligned to standards
- Peer-reviewed and practitioner-informed
- Designed for real-world classroom application
Together, these resources establish one standard of safety, applied appropriately across all STEM instructional environments.
Access the 2026 Manuals
Whether you are shaping policy or leading instruction, these manuals equip you with the tools to:
- Make defensible safety decisions
- Strengthen instructional quality
- Build a sustainable safety culture
- Protect students while preserving hands-on learning
A practical, standards-aligned guide that helps high school science educators and leaders make confident, day-to-day decisions to reduce risk, strengthen safety culture, and support hands-on learning across all science disciplines.
A clear, research-informed resource that equips science educators and leaders to anticipate hazards, apply safer practices, and create consistent, high-quality safety experiences in middle school instructional spaces.
A clear, developmentally grounded resource that helps K–5 educators, administrators, and safety leaders design safer STEM learning environments where curiosity thrives through planning, structured routines, and consistent adult supervision.
A comprehensive, standards-aligned resource that equips high school CTE educators and safety leaders to manage complex, real-world hazards through proactive risk assessment, industry-informed safety practices, and a culture of accountability that prepares students for both workforce readiness and safer learning environments.
A nationally aligned, standards-based framework that guides educators and school leaders in designing safer science and STEM learning experiences beyond the classroom, prioritizing hazard elimination, clear instructional boundaries, and defensible decision-making to ensure that rigorous learning continues without exposing students to unmanaged risks in remote, distance, and home-based environments.
A forward-looking, evidence-based guide that helps K–12 educators and safety leaders embed public health readiness into everyday STEM instruction, integrating infection prevention, laboratory safety, and instructional design into a cohesive system that protects students, sustains hands-on learning, and strengthens resilience for future pandemics and public health disruptions.
Augmenting Safety with Better Decisions
A research-informed, nationally aligned framework that reframes safety culture in K–12 science and STEM not as compliance alone, but as a system of decisions, equipping educators and leaders with AI-supported tools, cognitive strategies, and design principles to improve judgment, respond to changing conditions, and build defensible, learning-centered safety practices that continuously reduce risk and strengthen professional responsibility.