In order to have a safe and healthy school, school leaders must prioritize student and staff social emotional needs. Research consistently reveals that students who are emotionally healthy achieve more academically and are less likely to have behavior problems in school. Likewise, adults who feel appreciated, empowered, and emotionally healthy are more likely to excel in their role and stay at the school. As schools face the collective trauma of the last few years, the need to prioritize SEL is more critical than ever before. While educational stakeholders (school districts, leaders and teachers) report recognizing the importance of social-emotional learning, there continues to be a gap between student social-emotional needs and schools’ ability to address these needs. In addition, attention to the social-emotional needs of staff in the building is often absent or cursory. Presenters will draw upon their own experiences as well as research and professional literature to provide ideas about how to make social-emotional learning part of the school’s culture and empower all stakeholders to manage emotions and make responsible decisions. Topics will include specific connections for teachers between social-emotional learning and academic learning and behavior, professional development ideas about how teachers can incorporate social-emotional learning into their classrooms, and how to combat educator burnout by attending to adults’ social-emotional needs and creating a sense of agency in all adults in the building. Attendees will walk away with specific ideas that they can implement immediately in their schools, ideas for more wide-scale activities, and important topics they can explore with their leadership teams.