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Tag: School Safety

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Prepared under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (2008).

Mitigating hazards in school facilities should be planned and implemented by those who know the school and its community best – school and district staff in alliance with local emergency responders and the school community. Working together, they can successfully: (1) Assess the safety and security of school buildings, grounds, and surroundings; (2) Make a hazard mitigation plan; and (3) Implement the plan. The article describes a 3-step process for mitigating hazards in school facilities and provides resources for further evaluation.

Mitigating Hazards in School Facilities Nov 5 09b (2)

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New Mexico Safe Routes to School Program (2008).

The purpose of this handbook is to help educational facilities in New Mexico develop an Action Plan for a successful Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program. The handbook is intended for use by parents, school staff, students, community leaders, local governments, and anyone else interested in encouraging safe walking and bicycling to school in New Mexico. This handbook describes steps for developing an Action Plan. Communities receiving SRTS funds from the NM Department of Transportation (NMDOT) are required to develop an Action Plan that meets the guidelines of this Handbook.

NMSRTS_New Mexico Safe Routes to School Handbook

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LaVigne, N. G. (2007). (50)

School-related traffic congestion is defined as "the overcrowding and blocking of streets on or near school property that is typically associated with car transportation of children to and from school." Although routes to and from school are examined as part of this problem, most of the guide focuses on traffic problems that occur in the immediate vicinity of the school. School traffic congestion is included as one of the "Problem-Oriented Guides for Police" because it poses a threat to the safety of the students, teachers, parents, residents, and motorists in and around school sites. The identification and discussion of factors that contribute to school-related traffic congestion address population trends and changes in transportation modes; physical design; and new schools, residential divisions, and changes in school assignment. One section of the guide identifies the various categories of stakeholders in the problem and discusses their roles in addressing it. These stakeholders include police, parents, students, teachers and school administrators, local residents, other commuters, the transportation and planning department, school bus companies, Parent Teachers Associations and school boards, school architects and landscapers, and neighboring businesses. Questions pertinent to problem analysis are then discussed, followed by a description of how to measure the effectiveness of responses to the problem. Some guidelines for responses to school traffic congestion focus on general considerations for an effective response strategy, specific responses (changing transportation modes and implementing drop-off, pick-up, and physical design measures), and responses proven to have limited effectiveness. 29 references and appended summary of responses to traffic congestion around schools

LaVigne_N_G_Traffic Congestion Around Schools

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United States Department of Education (2007).

The United States Department of Education (USDOE) noted schools are an integral part of their communities; when a community experiences a major event or crisis, schools in that community are also affected. All-hazard emergency management plans should therefore be comprehensive, focusing on crises and hazards behind school walls as well as potential community events that could also impact the school community. Schools should think beyond their immediate buildings and grounds when creating emergency management plans and procedures framed within the context of the four phases of emergency management: Prevention-Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.

USDOE_Beyond the School Walls-Community Events & Their Impact on Schools (2007)

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United States Department of Education (2007). (ED498806)

Taking action now can save lives, prevent injury, and minimize property damage in the moments of a crisis. The importance of reviewing and revising school and district plans cannot be underscored enough. This guide helps in navigating this process by giving schools, districts, and communities the critical concepts and components of good crisis planning, stimulate thinking about the crisis preparedness process, and provide examples of promising practices.

USDOE_Practical Information on Crisis Planning

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Pardee, M. (2005).

Resource Guide Volume 4: Creating Playgrounds for Early Childhood Facilities, published by LISC’s Community Investment Collaborative for Kids (CICK). This guide assists early childhood programs with the planning of a center’s outdoor space to achieve a successful natural environment for young children. It includes suggestions for equipment and materials that support a range of activities that children can enjoy outdoors.

CreatingPlaygroundsforEarlyChildhood

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Wargo, J. (2004). (Doc. 2)

This document includes information to create a healthy school environment, and to identify and modify aspects of the physical environment that jeopardize safety and health. However, physical interventions alone will not suffice. The document also contains guidance to ensure that positive changes in a school’s physical environment are supported, reinforced and sustained by school health policy, skills-based health education and school health services, the core components of an effective school health programme as called for in the international initiative to Focus Resources on Effective School Health (FRESH)

Wargo_ThePhysicalSchoolEnvironment

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National Safe KIDS Campaign (2004).

In this brief fact sheet, SAFE KIDS presented data representing 35 states and the District of Columbia at multiple nationwide intersections to observe numerous variables in physical environment and driver behavior. In order to understand how these elements affect a child's ability to cross the street, the observers determined the most likely path for a child navigating the intersection.

National Safe KIDS Campaign_Kids at the Crosswalk (2004)

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Cooner, S. A., Fitzpatrick, K., Wooldridge, M. D., Crawford, J. A., & Ford, G. L. (2003). (0-4286-2)

The state of Texas, particularly the large urban areas, has experienced considerable population growth in recent years. This growth has produced new schools in areas near highways originally designed for low volumes and relatively highspeeds. Another trend is the higher proportion of children being transported to and from schools in private vehicles.These realities, and many of the other issues associated with traffic around schools, make it important to aggressively consider the design of roadways within and around schools to ensure the safest possible traffic environment. Equally important is the consideration of the location and design of the school site, preferably during the planning stages, in order to establish safe and efficient operations. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is currently focusing attention on these issues through its Precious Cargo Program. Precious Cargo allows TxDOT staff to review school site plans and make recommendations before the schools are built. Since the program's inception, more than 180 schools in 70 various school districts statewide have seen traffic safety improvements around their schools or future school sites. This report contains the recommended school site planning guidelines for transportation-related elements such as site selection, general site requirements and design, bus operations, parent drop-off/pick-up zone, driveways, turn lanes, signing and marking, parking, and pedestrian and bicycle access. The research team based these guidelines on a comprehensive review of existing guidelines and the results of field studies at school sites in Texas. The report provides examples of good practices and also examples of practices to avoid for many of the more prominent guidelines. The guidelines are focused on transportation design, operations and safety within school sites - with a particular focus on the parent and bus drop-off/pick-up zones. The final chapter of the report contains a site plan review checklist that TxDOT engineers, field crews, architects, and school district personnel can use to coordinate efforts and make sure that school access is safe and efficient.

View Guide

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California Emergency Management Agency (2003).

The recommendations included in this document are intended to reduce seismic hazards associated with the non-structural components of schools buildings, including mechanical systems, ceiling systems, partitions, light fixtures, furnishings, and other building contents. It identifies potential earthquake hazards and provides recommendations for mitigating those hazards. The non-structural components and building contents identified in this publication are listed in one of the following three sections: ceiling and overhead, walls and wall-mounted, and furniture and equipment. Within each section, an information sheet is provided for each non-structural component or building content item. Each information sheet provides a description of the item, a description of the potentially hazardous condition, and recommendations to reduce the hazard. An "earthquake hazards checklist" is also provided at the back of the publication to assist district staff in conducting a non-structural hazards survey.

Gov Office of Emergency Services_Nonstructural Earthquake Hazards

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