Schools and districts can plan for how they will recover from incidents before they occur, which can make the recovery process quicker and more effective. Most incidents are small, but some events, like tragic acts of violence, have a larger impact and may disrupt the worldview of students, staff, and family members. Schools are also continuously reacting to incidents. Training and exercises are an essential component of school safety plans. Drills provide everyone with the chance to practice the actions they will take before, during, and after an emergency. Tabletop exercises allow schools to discuss their plans, policies, and procedures in an emergency scenario. It also gives them the information they need to train their students on emergency procedures. Any reduction of time between the beginning and end of an incident can save lives.Īs an important part of emergency planning, training teaches staff and faculty about the policies, procedures, roles, and responsibilities in their school’s EOP. A key component of emergency planning is creating an Emergency Operations Plan (school EOP), or a document that outlines how a school will prepare, respond, and recover from an emergency.Įvery district or school should develop and implement comprehensive school EOPs that describe the actions that students, teachers, and school staff should take before, during, and after emergency events, and everyone should have a common understanding of what will be expected of them. Emergencies can happen at any time, and planning for different emergencies can be challenging for schools. Plan for emergencies and know how to respond.įamilies and communities expect schools to keep their children safe from a range of emergency events, like crime, natural disasters, and accidents.

Event crisis management plan template