Skip to content

Tag: School Safety

Published on

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), Department of Justice (DOJ)/Federal Bureau Investigation (FBI), United States Department of Education (USDOE), & Department Health and Human Services (DHHS), 2013. Lessons learned from school emergencies highlight the importance of preparing school officials and first responders to implement emergency operations plans. By having plans in place to keep students and staff safe, schools play a key role in taking preventative and protective measures to stop an emergency from occurring or reduce the impact of an incident. Although schools are not traditional response organizations, when a school-based emergency occurs, school personnel respond immediately. They provide first aid, notify response partners, and provide instructions before first responders arrive. They also work with their community partners, i.e., governmental organizations that have a responsibility in the school emergency operations plan to provide a cohesive, coordinated response. Community partners include first responders (law enforcement officers, fire officials, and emergency medical services personnel) as well as public and mental health entities.

We recommend that planning teams responsible for developing and revising school EOPs use this document to guide their efforts. It is recommended that districts and individual schools compare existing plans and processes against the content and processes outlined in this guide. To gain the most from it, users should read through the entire document prior to initiating their planning efforts and then refer back to it throughout the planning process.

The guide is organized in four sections:

  1. The principles of school emergency management planning.
  2. A process for developing, implementing, and continually refining a school EOP with community partners (e.g., first responders and emergency management personnel) at the school building level.
  3. A discussion of the form, function, and content of school EOPs.
  4. “A Closer Look,” which considers key topics that support school emergency planning, including addressing an active shooter, school climate, psychological first aid, and information-sharing.

View Guide

Published on

NYC Department of Education, 2008. This manual is intended for use by all individuals who are responsible for implementing a laboratory program in their school. Special sections in this safety manual will enumerate the individual responsibilities of the principal, assistant principal, science cluster teacher, science staff developer or coach, science teacher, laboratory specialist, custodian, and student. The manual also provides general guidelines for all laboratories and specific safety rules for each subject area. In these sections, safety rules and regulations for laboratory, demonstrations and activities will be discussed.

View link

Published on

Idaho State Department of Education, 2006. The 2006 Idaho Legislature passed two criminal statutes which directly address the safety and well-being of students. Idaho Code § 18-917A defines harassment, intimidation, and bullying; prohibits such conduct by students; and provides that any student who commits an act of harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying may be found guilty of an infraction. Idaho Code § 18-3302I specifies that any person, including a student, who willfully threatens another person with the use of a firearm or other deadly or dangerous weapon while on school grounds may be charged with a misdemeanor. Additionally, the Legislature amended Idaho Code § 33-512 to require that school districts adopt policies regarding discipline of students who engage in acts of harassment, intimidation and bullying. Idaho Code § 33-205 was also modified to clarify that students may be temporarily suspended for engaging in acts of harassment, intimidation or bullying.

This guide will provide an overview of the new statutory language, as well as Idaho school districts’ obligations in meeting the language of the statutes. The obligations discussed herein also apply to Idaho public charter schools and private elementary and secondary schools.

View link 

Published on

Mississippi Department of Education, 2012. Safe schools are fundamental to students' school successes and achievements. Consequently, providing a safe and orderly school environment remains an ever-present priority of the Mississippi Department of Education. School safety should be addressed through a comprehensive approach that focuses on prevention, intervention and response planning. Systems and programs should be in place that create caring school communities where all students and staff feel safe and supported. Key to the process of building and maintaining safe schools is the development of active partnerships between schools and communities.

View link

Published on

Homeland Security and Emergency Management. School emergency planning is a necessary but often unfamiliar task for many school administrators. Statute requires all Minnesota schools adopt a crisis management policy and develop individualized plans addressing potential violent crisis situations, emergencies and natural disasters. The Comprehensive School Safety Guide is designed to help simplify school emergency planning and guide school administrators and district emergency planning teams through the emergency planning process.

The updated and revised Comprehensive School Safety Guide is the fourth edition of Minnesota’s guidance for school emergency planning. The first Model Crisis Management Policy and school emergency procedures document was issued jointly by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the Minnesota Department of Education in 1999. Emergency procedures were revised in 2005 and the first Comprehensive School Safety Guide was published in 2008. The 2011 edition includes new guidance on emergency planning for students with disabilities, safe school assessments and recovery planning. Guidance on drills and exercises, school emergency response teams and student reunification has also been updated.

School emergency planning requires a cooperative effort. The Comprehensive School Safety Guide is intended for district emergency planning teams and community emergency response partners responsible for formulating or revising school emergency plans. Procedures in the Comprehensive School Safety Guide are general guidelines based on local, state and national best practices. Districts are encouraged to review these procedures in coordination with district policies and crisis plans. Procedures should be customized to fit specific school building sites and coincide with local emergency response procedures.

View link

Published on

North Carolina Campus Safe Task force, 2008. Attorney General Cooper charged the 21-member Task Force with reviewing the state of campus security and recommending ways to better respond to a critical incident. Specifically, he asked the Task Force to consider the following: (1) prevention of a critical incident, including increasing campus safety awareness and assessing whether particular students are a risk; (2) preparedness for a critical incident, including better ways to use technology and to enhance coordination between schools and law enforcement; (3) response to a critical incident, including the importance of having multi-hazard plans and crisis communications in place; and (4) recovery from a critical incident, including how campuses can learn from past tragic events.

This report reviews and recommends ways in which State policymakers, campuses, and law enforcement offices can improve response to an incident like the one at Virginia Tech. Additionally, this report highlights the many significant steps our campuses have already taken to keep students and faculty safe. As Hollis Stambaugh, Deputy Director of the Virginia Tech Review Panel, told Task Force members, “North Carolina is already ahead of the game.”

View Report

Published on

Safe and Sound, 2015. Sandy Hook parents, educators, and community members—all inspired by our children and educators, who perished on December 14, 2012. We chose to raise our families in Newtown, CT, a small town where crime is low and values are strong. We chose Sandy Hook Elementary School, a place of love, learning, and acceptance. When our children boarded their school buses and their teachers left for work December 14th, we never imagined it would be the last time. We all felt safe in our peaceful town and in our high ranking schools. We learned, too painfully, that we were not. Gaining entry to our locked school and access to our beloved children and teachers was as simple as breaking a glass window. The measures, plans, and procedures we relied upon failed us, tragically. Despite our sorrow, and though we come from a variety of backgrounds, we are united in our mission: To better protect our schools. To provide safe schools, secure schools, for our children and educators. And to help others do the same in their communities. To honor our loved ones, we ask you to join us. Stand up for Safe and Sound schools.

View link

Viewing Message: 1 of 1.
 Notice

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. Visit GW’s Website Privacy Notice to learn more about how GW uses cookies.