School Wide Emergencies

In contrast to medical emergencies that typically involve a single student, school-wide emergencies -- fires, violent weather, weapons inside a school, or community disasters -- involve the student-body as a whole. School-wide emergencies do not all require the same response: A fire requires an immediate evacuation; an armed intruder may require locked-down classrooms. A gas or chemical danger may also require remaining indoors. Finding out how your child's school has prepared itself for the unexpected is a good way to protect your child and all students at the school.

[Download free checklist -- PDF format]

Here are three basic questions to pose concerning school-wide emergencies:

• What emergency situations have been identified that might threaten the school or its surrounding community and what is the response for each?
• Have school staff and students received training or participated in drills using the emergency procedures?
• How do new teachers or staff learn and practice emergency procedures?

Resources:

National Clearinghouse for Educational Facilities. State and Local Emergency Planning Guidelines. http://www.edfacilities.org/rl/statelocal_emergency.cfm 

Los Angeles Unified School District. Standard Emergency Procedures for Schools, revised December 2001.
http://adultinstruction.org/administrators/ handbooks/emergency.pdf

For School-Wide Emergencies Resources visit:
Emergency Planning and Procedures Guide for Schools
www.dps.state.mn.us/dhsem/uploadedfile/schools.pdf

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