The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center (REMS) has created a list of resources on the role of athletic directors in school safety efforts. The list includes the following categories: (1) Before an Emergency; (2) During an Emergency; (3) After an Emergency; and (4) Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) Development…

The presence of volunteers, both affiliated and unaffiliated, and the influx of donations during and after an emergency can be addressed through a comprehensive emergency operations plan (EOP). Education agencies and their planning teams must consider developing a system that addresses the different types of donations and volunteers, how they will…

In the context of school safety, family reunification means to reunite children with verified and authorized family members after a critical and often highly stressful incident (e.g., a fire, a natural disaster, a school bus accident, a situation involving weapons or violence at school, etc.) that disrupts the school day and prompts the need for a…

Collaboration is the key to a balanced and well-planned response to an emergency and subsequent recovery. Schools and school districts should explore existing resources within their communities that can provide services to their students during and after an emergency that negatively impacts school operations. One such resource to consider is local…

Comprehensive school emergency management planning requires input and collaboration from multidisciplinary stakeholders that represent the whole school community. The involvement of those who are affected by and help carry out the school emergency operations plan (EOP) can help ensure buy-in and the quality of the plan, as well as build the…

In order to assist schools and their community partners in their efforts to create, assess, or update their comprehensive emergency operations plans (EOPs), Federal agencies jointly produced the "Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans (School Guide)" and "The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality…

After an emergency event has occurred on campus and the education agency has activated the emergency operations plan (EOP), it is likely that the planning team has feedback and lessons learned. Similarly, after conducting an emergency exercise -- whether it be an orientation, tabletop exercise, drill, functional exercise, or full-scale exercise --…

Integrating chemical management into a comprehensive emergency operations plan (EOP), including through the creation of a Toxic Materials Annex and a Hazardous Materials Annex, helps improve a school district's or individual school's preparedness for a chemical-related incident. To ensure the annexes remain relevant and useful, districts and…

The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is part of the National Preparedness System and supports the National Response Framework. NIMS puts forth a systematic approach to collaborating across disciplines and all levels of government to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards that impact the…

Though part of the larger public school system, charter schools typically do not operate in school buildings and are not always mandated to follow the same rules and regulations for school districts, which can make planning efforts for funding, facilities, and emergency management difficult to navigate. Charter schools typically receive per pupil…

Our nation's postsecondary institutions are entrusted to provide a safe and healthy learning environment for the students, faculty, and staff who live, work, and study on campus. Planning for emergencies may be challenging for institutions of higher education (IHEs) because of geography, environment, governance, around-the clock-operations, and…

As online classrooms become more common, schools and school districts should consider how use of them might impact school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness planning and how online classrooms may be affected by various hazards and threats. This fact sheet provides emergency management planning considerations for online…

To develop sound emergency management practices and comprehensive emergency operations plans (EOPs), schools should incorporate community-based organizations and agencies into the planning process. Collaboration by schools with community partners can support implementation of the National Preparedness System mission areas--prevent, protect,…

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radios (NWRs) can be used by education agencies before, during, and after an emergency. The information collected through the NWR may be used to determine which annexes (whether functional or threat- or hazard-specific) should be activated. Furthermore, NWRs may be used to receive…

This document lists resources for planning teams on engaging students in prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts and emergency operations plan development.