Prepping for a School Emergency

Key points

  • Build partnerships to ease coordination during emergencies, assess your school's needs, and develop an emergency operations plan (EOP).
  • Have a variety of emergency supplies available.
  • Conduct training and exercises to familiarize staff members and students with the EOP and teach them a variety of emergency preparedness and first aid skills.
Whiteboard with different scribbles for emergency preparedness.

Build partnerships

To ease coordination during an emergency, school districts and schools can build and maintain relationships with the following organizations and persons:

  • Community organizations.
  • Public health officials.
  • Emergency management organizations.

This can also include building interoperable data systems to share information about:

  • Infectious disease outcomes.
  • Infectious disease impacts.
  • School learning modality status.

Schools can consider adding members to their school health advisory committees with expertise in certain subject areas. Examples of members with expertise to add include members with infection control or emergency response.

Types of organizations and their role in school emergency preparedness

Local

Local emergency management agency personnel
Support:
  • Resource management.
  • Emergency operations plan (EOP) development.
  • Exercise (as requested by the school or local education agency [LEA]).
Local law enforcement, fire department, and other emergency services
  • Enforce state laws.
  • Conduct building fire and safety inspections.
  • Partner with schools in planning, exercises, and response for emergencies occurring at schools.
Local health departments
  • Participate in EOP development and exercises (as requested by the LEA),
  • Support case investigation and contact tracing of a local health problem or hazard.
  • Support or requires case reporting from schools.
  • Conduct food inspections.
Local health systems and healthcare providers
  • Provide medical assistance and expertise before, during, and after an emergency.
  • Support EOP development for certain areas (e.g., infectious disease annex).
  • Participate in exercises as needed.

State or territory

State/territorial education agencies
Provide LEA preparedness policies and practices:
  • Oversight.
  • Guidance.
  • Funding.
  • Professional development.
State/territorial health departments
  • Provide guidance and funding to local health departments to support school preparedness activities.
  • Support case investigation and contract tracing.
  • Serve as liaison between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments, and LEAs for technical assistance as needed.

Federally recognized tribal nations

Students from federally recognized tribal nations receive educational services through a variety of mechanisms. These educational services include tribe or Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) managed boarding schools or day schools. They also may attend public schools, that can build and maintain partnerships with the local tribe(s).

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Funds
  • Maintains
  • Repairs
  • Replaces schools educating American Indian and Alaska Native students.
Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)

  • Administers and oversees BIA-funded schools.
  • Develops preparedness trainings and guidance.
  • Provides support and technical assistance when requested.
Tribally run or BIE-operated schools
  • Develop
  • Train
  • Practice
  • Implement EOPs based on any requirements from the tribe.
Indian Health Service (IHS)
  • Provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for federally recognized American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Local and tribal health departments (including tribal health not funded by IHS)
  • Support EOP development and exercises (as requested by the school or BIE).
  • Support case investigation and contact tracing of a local health problem or hazard.
  • Support or requires case reporting from schools.

United States federal agencies

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Provides:
  • Information on a variety of health problems and hazards.
  • Communication resources on emergency preparedness.
  • Technical assistance related to health problems or hazards.
  • Training to public health professionals, such as the Working with Schools 101 training.
  • Support for case investigation, contact tracing, and outbreak investigations of a health problem or hazard (when a state requests assistance).
Department of Education
Through the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS TA Center) and a list of federal school safety grants provides:
  • Guidance.
  • Resources.
  • Tools.
  • Training.
  • Technical assistance.
Through the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) provide funding for LEAs and institutions of higher education that have a disrupted learning environment due to a significant, traumatic event.
Department of Homeland Security
Through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provides:
  • Preparedness resources.
  • Support during a declared emergency (when requested by a state or tribal government).
  • Interactive tools to help government agencies and other organizations understand the National Preparedness System.
  • Information on Ready.gov about emergency preparedness.
Environmental Protection Agency
Provides resources about preparing for natural disasters, as well as information about specific chemicals.

Assess needs

Schools can work with their community to understand local circumstances that affect their:

  • Staff members.
  • Students.
  • Families.

This can include school-specific needs (such as those operating as boarding schools or serving unique populations) and students in:

It can also include individual or community-wide needs, as described in the table below.

Understanding these needs can help schools keep their staff members and students safe. Consider these community-wide and individual circumstances during EOP:

  • Communication.
  • Development.
  • Testing.
  • Implementation.

Examples of circumstances to consider include the following:

Race, ethnicity, and culture
Schools can ensure understanding of relevant cultural practices and beliefs that may affect how staff members, students, and families may react before, during, or after an emergency.
Language and literacy
Schools can provide resources in appropriate formats and languages before, during, and after an emergency so that all staff members, students, and families have access to information.
Location
Urban, suburban, and rural locations each have unique circumstances affecting transportation, access to healthcare, and other services.

Schools could work with partners to identify how their location may present challenges and opportunities.
School size
Schools can serve anywhere from a few to thousands of students. This can impact procedures, such as those for evacuating or sheltering in place.
Disabilities
Staff members and students with any type of disability (such as cognitive, mobility, vision, hearing, self-care, or independent living) may need additional support during or after an emergency. Schools could work with individuals and their families to identify these needs and plan accordingly.

For example, disabilities may affect an individual's ability to shelter in place or evacuate. They may also have complex medical needs to consider.

School closures can also impact access to disability services provided at or by the school.

More information about disabilities and emergency preparedness is available at Disability and Health Emergency Preparedness and Children and Youth with Special Healthcare Needs in Emergencies.
Housing status
Staff and students with unstable housing, or who do not have consistent access to air conditioning or heat, may have additional needs during weather-related or other emergencies.
Family socioeconomic status
A family's socioeconomic status can affect their ability to practice certain prevention measures, respond during emergencies, and recover afterwards.
School socioeconomic status
A school's socioeconomic status can affect the wraparound services they are able to provide, along with their financial ability to prepare for and respond to emergencies.

Planning

Schools could use the following to develop an EOP:

  • Partnerships they have built.
  • Needs they have assessed.
  • Requirements from their school district or LEA.

Make the EOP detailed. Address steps to take during and after various types of short- and long-duration emergencies. Schools can assign roles in the EOP to staff members. Schools can also ensure that plans account for the needs of children with access and functional needs.

More Information‎

The U.S. Department of Education's Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS TA Center) provides a detailed guide.
REMS TA Center Guide for Developing Emergency Operation Plans

Schools should prepare for many different situations. Below is a list of example situations and how to prepare for and respond to them. Not all situations will apply to all schools. There are additional situations a school may face not listed here. However, this section highlights key principles to consider when preparing for a variety of emergencies.

Infectious disease outbreaks

For infectious diseases, schools can take actions every day to help prevent the spread of disease among students and staff members. These include the following:

  • Establishing and maintaining an infection prevention and control (IPC) advisory committee. The committee could include the following to provide guidance on school infection control policies:
    • The local health department.
    • Tribal public health.
    • Hospital system.
    • Healthcare providers.
  • Supporting excused absences for students and staff members who are sick.
  • Ensuring that students and staff members are up to date on their vaccinations.
  • Optimizing ventilation systems.
  • Encouraging handwashing and covering of coughs and sneezes.
  • Following procedures for routine cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection (when indicated).
  • Developing systems to track illness-related absenteeism and monitor for trends.
  • Supporting training of school nurses and other healthcare staff in infection prevention and control policies and practices.
  • Advancing school health workforce and infrastructure.

During an emergency, schools could use enhanced infection prevention measures relevant to the specific illness. Schools can work with local health officials to coordinate infection prevention, case management, contact tracing, and communication efforts.

Example resources

Example resources for school-based health centers and nurses include the following:

Weather and natural disasters

Some weather-related emergencies require people to shelter in place, whereas others require people to evacuate.

Schools should have enough supplies to shelter in place for at least 3 days. It may take time for emergency workers to reach and support the school. Examples of supplies include food, water, medication, first aid supplies, hygiene products, various methods of communication, etc.

In the case of an evacuation, schools can prepare:

  • How they will evacuate and account for each student and staff member.
  • How they will evacuate people with disabilities.
  • Where they will evacuate to.
  • How to communicate with guardians for reunification after the emergency.

Example resources

Example resources include the following:

Chemical and radiation emergencies

A chemical or radiation emergency can occur:

1. When there's an accident (such as when transporting hazardous material, at a nuclear power plant, or at a chemical factory).

OR

2. Due to an intentional release.

Schools should consider being prepared and having the supplies mentioned above for sheltering in place or evacuating. Whether or not schools should transport students and staff or shelter in place depends on what authorities direct. They can also have a way for exposed staff and students to:

  • Shower.
  • Change.
  • Take other steps to decontaminate after exposure.

If directed to shelter in place, schools may need to seal off the space by turning off:

  • Fans.
  • Air conditioning units.
  • Furnaces.

Schools may also need to close and lock all windows and doors. Limit food and beverage consumption to pre-packaged items. During a chemical emergency, schools can use duct tape and plastic sheeting to cover windows, doors, and vents. Alternatively, they can use towels or clothing in the vents and under the door. This seals the area from outside air while waiting on further direction from authorities.

Example resources

Example resources include the following:

Violence-related emergencies

Violence can occur at schools or in the surrounding community. Schools should plan how they will work with law enforcement, emergency personnel, and media during an emergency. They could also consider how:

  • To identify potential threats and prevent violence from occurring within their school.
  • To respond to various forms of violence at the school.
  • To reunite students with their families after an emergency.

Example resources

Example additional resources include the following:

Gather supplies and records

Schools should have a variety of supplies available ahead of time in case of an emergency. These supplies will vary based on the emergencies a school may face.

Schools can maintain student records necessary during an emergency, such as:

  • Daily attendance.
  • Room assignments.
  • Seating charts.
  • Parent/guardian contact information.

These should also be accessible in case of evacuation.

Conduct training and exercises

Training

It is important that staff members are familiar with their roles in the EOP. Schools can also communicate about relevant portions of the plan with parents and other guardians.

Schools can offer opportunities for students and staff to learn a variety of emergency preparedness and first aid skills, including:

The district can support these efforts through raising money and providing or contracting out trainings. These trainings can help ensure rapid action during an emergency.

Practice the plan

Schools could regularly conduct exercises so they can practice using their EOP to respond to both short- and long-duration emergencies. When conducting exercises, they can partner with local emergency management personnel, first responders, health departments, and relevant organizations.

More information

During an emergency

  • Once an emergency begins, schools should put their EOP into action.
  • Putting the EOP into action ensures that they are working with partners to share and receive information.
  • Schools are also encouraged to communicate with parents during this time.
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Content Source:
Office of Readiness and Response