Prepping for a School Emergency

Build partnerships

To ease coordination during an emergency, school districts and schools can build and maintain relationships with the following organizations and persons:

• Community organizations.
• Public health officials.
• Emergency management organizations.

This can also include building interoperable data systems to share information about:

• Infectious disease outcomes.
• Infectious disease impacts.
• School learning modality status.

Schools can consider adding members to their school health advisory committees with expertise in certain subject areas. Examples of members with expertise to add include members with infection control or emergency response.

Types of organizations and their role in school emergency preparedness

Local

State or territory

Federally recognized tribal nations

Students from federally recognized tribal nations receive educational services through a variety of mechanisms. These educational services include tribe or Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) managed boarding schools or day schools. They also may attend public schools, that can build and maintain partnerships with the local tribe(s).

United States federal agencies

Assess needs

Schools can work with their community to understand local circumstances that affect their:

• Staff members.
• Students.
• Families.

This can include school-specific needs (such as those operating as boarding schools or serving unique populations) and students in:

• Juvenile detention centers.
• Rehabilitation facilities.
• Hospitals.
• Group homes.

It can also include individual or community-wide needs, as described in the table below.

Understanding these needs can help schools keep their staff members and students safe. Consider these community-wide and individual circumstances during EOP:

• Communication.
• Development.
• Testing.
• Implementation.

Examples of circumstances to consider include the following:

Planning

Schools could use the following to develop an EOP:

• Partnerships they have built.
• Needs they have assessed.
• Requirements from their school district or LEA.

Make the EOP detailed. Address steps to take during and after various types of short- and long-duration emergencies. Schools can assign roles in the EOP to staff members. Schools can also ensure that plans account for the needs of children with access and functional needs.

Schools should prepare for many different situations. Below is a list of example situations and how to prepare for and respond to them. Not all situations will apply to all schools. There are additional situations a school may face not listed here. However, this section highlights key principles to consider when preparing for a variety of emergencies.

Infectious disease outbreaks

For infectious diseases, schools can take actions every day to help prevent the spread of disease among students and staff members. These include the following:

• Establishing and maintaining an infection prevention and control (IPC) advisory committee. The committee could include the following to provide guidance on school infection control policies:
  • The local health department.
  • Tribal public health.
  • Hospital system.
  • Healthcare providers.
• Supporting excused absences for students and staff members who are sick.
• Ensuring that students and staff members are up to date on their vaccinations.
• Optimizing ventilation systems.
• Encouraging handwashing and covering of coughs and sneezes.
• Following procedures for routine cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfection (when indicated).
• Developing systems to track illness-related absenteeism and monitor for trends.
• Supporting training of school nurses and other healthcare staff in infection prevention and control policies and practices.
• Advancing school health workforce and infrastructure.

During an emergency, schools could use enhanced infection prevention measures relevant to the specific illness. Schools can work with local health officials to coordinate infection prevention, case management, contact tracing, and communication efforts.

Example resources

Example resources for school-based health centers and nurses include the following:

• Disaster Preparedness Resources (National Association of School Nurses)
• Infection Control
• Roadmap to Healthy Schools: Building Organizational Capacity for Infection Prevention and Control (COVID Collaborative)
• Understanding the Role of School Nurses in Supporting School Safety Before, During, and After an Emergency (REMS TA Center)

Weather and natural disasters

Some weather-related emergencies require people to shelter in place, whereas others require people to evacuate.

Schools should have enough supplies to shelter in place for at least 3 days. It may take time for emergency workers to reach and support the school. Examples of supplies include food, water, medication, first aid supplies, hygiene products, various methods of communication, etc.

In the case of an evacuation, schools can prepare:

• How they will evacuate and account for each student and staff member.
• How they will evacuate people with disabilities.
• Where they will evacuate to.
• How to communicate with guardians for reunification after the emergency.

Example resources

Example resources include the following:

• The REMS TA Center provides a list of shelter-in-place and evacuation resources for schools
• Natural Disasters and Severe Weather

Chemical and radiation emergencies

A chemical or radiation emergency can occur:

1. When there's an accident (such as when transporting hazardous material, at a nuclear power plant, or at a chemical factory).

OR

2. Due to an intentional release.

Schools should consider being prepared and having the supplies mentioned above for sheltering in place or evacuating. Whether or not schools should transport students and staff or shelter in place depends on what authorities direct. They can also have a way for exposed staff and students to:

• Shower.
• Change.
• Take other steps to decontaminate after exposure.

If directed to shelter in place, schools may need to seal off the space by turning off:

• Fans.
• Air conditioning units.
• Furnaces.

Schools may also need to close and lock all windows and doors. Limit food and beverage consumption to pre-packaged items. During a chemical emergency, schools can use duct tape and plastic sheeting to cover windows, doors, and vents. Alternatively, they can use towels or clothing in the vents and under the door. This seals the area from outside air while waiting on further direction from authorities.

Example resources

Example resources include the following:

• Radiological Emergency Preparedness and Response: Educational Facilities Preparedness and Legal Study
• What Should you do in a Chemical Emergency?
• Radiation Emergencies—What should I do?

Violence-related emergencies

Violence can occur at schools or in the surrounding community. Schools should plan how they will work with law enforcement, emergency personnel, and media during an emergency. They could also consider how:

• To identify potential threats and prevent violence from occurring within their school.
• To respond to various forms of violence at the school.
• To reunite students with their families after an emergency.

Example resources

Example additional resources include the following:

• Prevention Resources for Action
• School Emergency Preparedness: Status Assessment at the State, District, and School Levels

Gather supplies and records

Schools should have a variety of supplies available ahead of time in case of an emergency. These supplies will vary based on the emergencies a school may face.

Schools can maintain student records necessary during an emergency, such as:

• Daily attendance.
• Room assignments.
• Seating charts.
• Parent/guardian contact information.

These should also be accessible in case of evacuation.

Conduct training and exercises

Training

It is important that staff members are familiar with their roles in the EOP. Schools can also communicate about relevant portions of the plan with parents and other guardians.

Schools can offer opportunities for students and staff to learn a variety of emergency preparedness and first aid skills, including:

• Infection prevention and control (IPC).
• CPR.
• Severe trauma response.

The district can support these efforts through raising money and providing or contracting out trainings. These trainings can help ensure rapid action during an emergency.

Practice the plan

Schools could regularly conduct exercises so they can practice using their EOP to respond to both short- and long-duration emergencies. When conducting exercises, they can partner with local emergency management personnel, first responders, health departments, and relevant organizations.

More information

• The REMS TA Center provides a list of resources for K-12 emergency exercises.
• For information about the participation of students in exercises, read the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement: Participation of Children and Adolescents in Live Crisis Drills and Exercises.

During an emergency

• Once an emergency begins, schools should put their EOP into action.
• Putting the EOP into action ensures that they are working with partners to share and receive information.
• Schools are also encouraged to communicate with parents during this time.