Although every school has unique needs, there are a number of common steps that can be taken to ensure that schools are READY for natural or human-caused disasters.
Parents and school staff should check with administrators to find out more about their school’s emergency plan. If a plan isn’t in place, discuss ways that the school can begin the process of risk assessment and planning. Perhaps a special committee comprised of school staff, parents, and students can be formed to begin the planning process.
There are a number of resources available to assist schools in preparing for disaster. The Colorado School Safety Resource Center (CSSRC) is an excellent source of information regarding school preparedness. The CSSRC was created by the State legislature in 2008 through Senate Bill 08-001 (C.R.S. Section 24-33.5-1801, et seq.). It provides free consultation, resources, training, and technical assistance to foster safe and secure learning environments, positive school climates, and early intervention to prevent crisis situations. The CSSRC supports schools and local agencies in their efforts to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all types of emergencies and crisis situations. Information and resources from the CSSRC are available to all schools, school officials, and community partners throughout the State of Colorado.
The U.S. Department of Education also has many resources related to emergency planning for schools. Their Action Guide for Emergency Management At Institutions of Higher Education is one on many resources that can be found on their website. It is an excellent resource for the development of emergency response plans for schools.Two new school preparedness guides have recently been published by the Federal government, one for K-12 and one for higher education. These guides, published in June 2013, align and build upon years of emergency planning work by the Federal government and are a joint product of Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Education (ED) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on this critical topic. The guides are customized to each community, incorporate lessons learned from recent incidents, and respond to the needs and concerns voiced by stakeholders following the recent shootings in Newtown and Oak Creek and the recent tornadoes in Oklahoma. Schools and institutions of higher education can use these guides to create new plans as well as to revise and update existing plans and align their emergency planning practices with those at the national, state, and local levels.