Emergency Readiness & Management

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No matter the age--from Pre-K/Elementary School to higher education-- communities and families expect schools and learning institutions to ensure their children and youth are safe in the face of an emergency, including violence, crime, natural disasters, epidemics, and accidents. It is critical for schools/institutions of higher education and communities to work together to develop plans that can be effectively implemented in the event of an emergency.

Safe and supportive learning environments provide a foundation of positive relationships and systems that can help staff and students better face the challenges of managing during an emergency, as well as the resilience to overcome the challenges emergencies present.  To effectively prepare for and manage an emergency, promoting and maintaining safe supportive learning environments is key. 

Featured Resources

NEW Online Course: Preparing to Reunify Students With Families and Guardians Before, During, and After a School Emergency

Provides detailed guidance for forming and developing a family reunification process in the event of a school emergency. This new 30-45 minute course is freely available and includes additional information on planning basics and principles, emergency management functions, and hazards and threats.

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Aims to help K-12 school (public and nonpublic) personnel, school district administrators and staff, state/regional education agency personnel, and their partners develop a greater understanding of site assessments and how to examine the safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness of K-12 buildings and grounds. This online course uses an engaging visual format and interactive features, such as learning activities and quizzes, to help you learn about site assessments, building design principles, data, and tools.

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Presents data and reports on the implementation of the Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA) across U.S. states and other jurisdictions with the goal of strengthening the quality of GFSA data submissions. Features the development of a formal quality review process, including developing a set of business rules to detect issues related to data completeness and accuracy. 

Protecting America's Schools: A U.S. Secret Service Analysis of Targeted School Violence

Dives deep into nine years of school tragedies, and it advocates for schools to establish comprehensive targeted violence prevention programs. Provides prevention measures to identify students of concern and assess their potential risk for engaging in violence or other harmful activities.

A Training Guide for Administrators and Educators on Addressing Adult Sexual Misconduct in the School Setting

Helps schools and school districts understand adult sexual misconduct (ASM), develop related policies and procedures, train on ASM awareness and prevention, and recognize the role of social media and technology in ASM. This training guide, which is available free of charge and based on the most recent research and trends on ASM, supports education agencies in updating their emergency operations plans (EOPs) and/or related ASM policies and procedures to be in alignment with national, state, and local recommendations. 

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Assists parents, caregivers, and guardians weigh the risks and benefits of available educational options to help them make decisions about sending their child back to school. Documents information on COVID-19 and why safely reopening schools is so critical.

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Tips to help plan for school, including in-person, virtual, and at-home learning. Outlines

SchoolSafety.gov Launches to Help Educators, Administrators, Parents, and Law Enforcement Prepare for Threats

Assists users in evaluating their respective school’s safety posture across ten foundational elements of school safety. Builds awareness within the school community to promote vigilance and builds capacity to respond to incidents.

EOP Assist software application (app)

Designs access to help schools create and update high-quality school emergency operations plans (EOPS). Navigates end users through a six-step planning process recommended in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide) and obtains a unique and downloadable school EOP.
 

Specialized Training Packages—Special Topics in Emergency Management

Features self-paced emergency management training materials to support high-quality emergency management across a range of special topics. School emergency managers may use these materials to train their colleagues or to brush up on their own knowledge regarding special topics in school emergency management. The topics included in these training packages range from continuity of operations and large event planning to handling food contamination and infectious diseases. Each package includes training instructions, a PowerPoint presentation, and supplemental resources.

IACP

Offers courses for law enforcement and criminal justice professionals to gain knowledge and training via specific courses on school safety and other related topics.

The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans: A Companion to the School Guide

Provides an overview of information for districts working with school planning teams creating operation plans that are specific to emergencies. At the same time, highlights a report to assist schools and school districts in developing customized school EOPs with first reponders.

Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs: Plan, Prepare, and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Clarifies appropriate mitigation strategies based on level of community transmission of COVID-19 and presence of COVID-19 cases within the school. Provides guidance for when confirmed cases have entered a school, regardless of the level of community transmission.

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Offers the latest science on transmission risk, and the costs and benefits of opening schools during this time. Aids school administrators as they consider how to protect the health, safety, wellbeing of students, teachers, other school staff, families, and communities to prepare educating students this fall.

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American Institutes for Research

U.S. Department of Education

The contents of the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments Web site were assembled under contracts from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools to the American Institutes for Research (AIR), Contract Number  91990021A0020.

This Web site is operated and maintained by AIR. The contents of this Web site do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the U.S. Department of Education nor do they imply endorsement by the U.S. Department of Education.

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