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School Preparedness
- K-12 schools are responsible for protecting students and staff members from a variety of threats.
- Schools can prepare for emergencies by developing an emergency operations plan (EOP) in collaboration with local organizations, conducting practice exercises, and taking steps to integrate preparedness into daily activities.
- When schools plan for emergencies, they can decrease the impact a short- or long-duration emergency will have on operations.
- This resource provides information for K-12 school administrators and staff related to emergencies affecting multiple people at the school.
- For more information on school preparedness, subscribe to e-mail updates.
- Parents, caregivers, legal guardians, and families: You can use this page to guide questions to ask your child’s school about how they are preparing for emergencies. To learn how you can prepare your family for an emergency, visit the Protect Yourself and Your Loved Ones, Caring for Your Children in a Disaster, and Ready Kids pages.
Why school preparedness matters
Schools’ core role is to educate students. However, they also meet the needs of students and families by providing meals, childcare, and physical and mental health services. When schools plan for emergencies, they can decrease the impact a short- or long-duration emergency will have on operations. This can help schools remain open, or allow them to reopen more quickly, and to continue providing services after an emergency. Schools and public health agencies should work together to safely keep schools open as much as possible.5
The impact of emergencies
Prior emergencies have demonstrated impacts on staff, students, and families. This can include deep and lasting effects on physical and mental health, along with educational outcomes and economic impact. Public health interventions can balance the risk of the threat with the impact of the intervention on children and staff, including for those who are at higher risk (such as children and youth with special healthcare needs).
Schools, students, and staff members may be affected by community emergencies, even if the emergency did not occur on school property. When emergencies take place, schools often need to make decisions on how to protect students, how to handle a large number of parents rushing to pick up their children, and what to do if parents are unable to pick up their children. Additionally, emergencies can cause great anxiety among school staff members and students. When emergencies decrease students’ feelings of connectedness to their school, students may have poorer mental health.6,10,12
More information about the impacts of specific emergencies:
There are many examples of the impacts of emergencies. A few are included in the table below. Given the magnitude of these impacts on the school setting, effectively planning for emergencies is essential. Luckily there are several steps that schools can take to help mitigate the impacts of these events.
Topic
Topic
Mental Health Impact
Mental Health Impact
Educational/ Economic Impact
Educational/ Economic Impact
School shootings
School shootings
One study of more than 2,000 teens found that greater concern about school shootings and violence predicted increases in anxiety and panic six months later.9
One study of more than 2,000 teens found that greater concern about school shootings and violence predicted increases in anxiety and panic six months later.9
Students who have been exposed to a school shooting are less likely to be employed later in life. It is estimated that this could result in a total loss of $5.8 billion per year in lost lifetime earnings among survivors.11
Students who have been exposed to a school shooting are less likely to be employed later in life. It is estimated that this could result in a total loss of $5.8 billion per year in lost lifetime earnings among survivors.11
Infectious disease outbreaks
Infectious disease outbreaks
One in three parents report children’s mental health is worse now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.4
One in three parents report children’s mental health is worse now than before the COVID-19 pandemic.4
Some estimates note a loss of $128-188 billion to annual gross domestic product (GDP) due to COVID-19 pandemic-related unfinished learning.2
Some estimates note a loss of $128-188 billion to annual gross domestic product (GDP) due to COVID-19 pandemic-related unfinished learning.2
Extreme heat and natural disasters
Extreme heat and natural disasters
After a disaster, staff and students are at increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress, and other mental health concerns.1,7,8
After a disaster, staff and students are at increased risk for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, stress, and other mental health concerns.1,7,8
Temperature increases of 5.8°- 10°F are projected to result in 4% to 7% reductions in annual academic achievement per child. These learning losses can affect future income, with potential losses in the thousands of dollars per individual.3
Temperature increases of 5.8°- 10°F are projected to result in 4% to 7% reductions in annual academic achievement per child. These learning losses can affect future income, with potential losses in the thousands of dollars per individual.3
What CDC is doing
CDC’s School Preparedness Unit (SPU) takes a proactive approach to school preparedness and helps schools and CDC prepare for the next emergency response.
SPU plans to continue learning from the COVID-19 pandemic in preparation for future emergencies. SPU is establishing partnerships and materials for schools, in addition to developing systems to maintain situational awareness about student participation in in-person learning.
For more information, email the School Preparedness Unit at schoolpreparedness@cdc.gov.
- Agyapong, B., Eboreime, E., Shalaby, R., Pazderka, H., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Adu, M. K., . . . Agyapong, V. I. (2021). Mental Health Impacts of Wildfire, Flooding and COVID-19 on Fort McMurray School Board Staff and Other Employees: A Comparative Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(1), 435. doi:10.3390/ijerph19010435
- Dorn, E., Hancock, B., Sarakatsannis, J., & Viruleg, E. (2021, July 27). COVID-19 and education: The lingering effects of unfinished learning. Retrieved from McKinsey & Company: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/education/our-insights/covid-19-and-education-the-lingering-effects-of-unfinished-learning
- EPA. (2023, April). Climate Change and Children’s Health and Well-Being in the United States. Retrieved from U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/cira/climate-change-and-childrens-health-report
- Fluent Research. (2020, December). Fluent Family Wellbeing Study. Retrieved from The JED Foundation: https://jedfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Family-Wellbeing_JED-report_12-28-20.pdf
- Guide to Community Preventive Services. (2018). Emergency Preparedness and Response: School Dismissals to Reduce Transmission of Pandemic Influenza. Retrieved from https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/emergency-preparedness-and-response-school-dismissals-reduce-transmission-pandemic-influenza.html
- Hertz, M. F., Kilmer, G., Verlende, J., Liddon, N., Rasberry, C. N., Barrios, L. C., & Ethier, K. A. (2022). Adolescent Mental Health, Connectedness, and Mode of School Instruction During COVID-19. Journal of Adolescent Health, 70(1), 57-63. doi:10.1016%2Fj.jadohealth.2021.10.021
- Houston, J. B., Spialek, M. L., Stevens, J., First, J., Mieseler, V. L., & Pfefferbaum, B. (2015). 2011 Joplin, Missouri Tornado Experience, Mental Health Reactions, and Service Utilization: Cross-Sectional Assessments at Approximately 6 Months and 2.5 Years Post-Event. PLoS Currents, 7, ecurrents.dis.18ca227647291525ce3415bec1406aa5. doi:10.1371/currents.dis.18ca227647291525ce3415bec1406aa5
- Kanter, R. K., & Abramson, D. (2014). School Interventions After the Joplin Tornado. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 29(2), 214-217. doi:10.1017/S1049023X14000181
- Riehm, K. E., Mojtabai, R., & Adams, L. B. (2021). Adolescents’ Concerns About School Violence or Shootings and Association With Depressive, Anxiety, and Panic Symptoms. JAMA Network Open, 4(11), e2132131. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.32131
- Rose, I. D., Lesesne, C. A., Sun, J., Johns, M. M., Zhang, X., & Hertz, M. (2022). The Relationship of School Connectedness to Adolescents’ Engagement in Co-Occurring Health Risks: A Meta-Analytic Review. The Journal of School Nursing. doi:10.1177/10598405221096802
- Rossin-Slater, M. (2022, June). Surviving a school shooting: Impacts on the mental health, education, and earnings of American youth. Retrieved from Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research: https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/health/surviving-school-shooting-impacts-mental-health-education-and-earnings-american
- Wilkins, N. J., Krause, K. H., Verlenden, J. V., Szucs, L. E., Ussery, E. N., Allen, C. T., . . . Ethier, K. A. (2023). School Connectedness and Risk Behaviors and Experiences Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2021. MMWR Suppl, 72(Suppl-1), 13-21. doi:10.15585/mmwr.su7201a2