After a School Emergency

Key points

  • Take steps to analyze the situation, reunite students with their guardians, and recover.
  • Reopen your school as soon as safely possible after the incident.
  • Support your staff and students' mental health needs.
  • Identify lessons learned and update the school's emergency operations plan (EOP).

Assess the situation

Account for all students and staff members who were in the building at the time of the emergency. This includes identifying any injuries or fatalities.

Assess the building with relevant personnel (if applicable) to determine whether the building is safe for individuals. This helps leaders decide if it is safe for students to shelter in place. It also determines if students can return to the building if they have evacuated.

Monitor safety to ensure that recovery methods are safe for students and staff members. These can include using flashlights, keeping generators outside, and making sure food and water are safe to consume.

Communicate

Communication is key during and after an emergency. Having a communication plan in place can help schools more efficiently communicate with the following parties:

  • Emergency personnel
  • Media
  • Staff members
  • Students
  • Families

Reunite students with families

In many emergencies, particularly those with a short duration and significant impact, students will need to be reunited with their guardians. Reunification may need to occur at the school or an alternate location.

More information

Resources for reunification include:

Safely reopen your school

It is important for schools to reopen as soon as safely possible after an emergency. Schools play an important role in:

  • Caring for children.
  • Providing nutrition.
  • Offering other important services.

Schools may aid student and family recovery after an emergency. If any school buildings are not safe after a disaster, the school district can identify alternate locations or temporary facilities.

Support mental health needs

Oftentimes, emergencies can cause trauma and mental health issues for students and staff. Schools can play an important role in supporting the mental and behavioral needs for staff members and students. They can use both in-house and community services to support mental health after an emergency.

More information

Organizations focused on mental health among youth include:

Resources for coping include:

Identify lessons learned

After an emergency, the following parties should review the incident to identify lessons learned:

  • School leaders
  • Partner organizations
  • Other relevant individuals

School leaders can use these lessons to review and update the emergency operations plan. They can also identify best practices to share with a variety of partners.

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Content Source:
Office of Readiness and Response