Resource Page: Emergency operations planning tools and strategies for K12 district leaders

A school bus stuck in flooding during Hurricane Eta in Florida, November 8, 2020.Whether faced with severe weather or natural disasters, an act of targeted violence, or an unfortunate accident, thoughtful and thorough emergency planning and preparation are critical actions school and district leaders can take to stop an emergency event from happening or reduce the impact of an incident that does occur.

Emergency planning is a key component of school safety that can include large-scale actions or everyday activities to build a safe school environment. Emergency planning can empower school staff and local first responders to understand and manage their responsibilities, help identify and address gaps in school procedures or processes, and prepare personnel so they are ready to respond in crisis situations.

Free resources available from the federal government include:

• Emergency Planning Strategies and Resources: This guide from SchoolSafety.gov includes a variety of guides, toolkits, training resources, and links to webinars.
• FEMA Multihazard Emergency Planning for Schools: Includes courses, exercises and drills, hazard analysis tools, facilities design guidelines, checklists, protocols, videos and more.
• Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans: This interagency guidance from FEMA, the Department of Education, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI provides information to school administrators on school emergency management planning. It includes a process for developing, implementing, and refining a school EOP with community partners.
• CDC School Preparedness: Guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control for disasters and emergencies, with specific content for dealing with infectious diseases in school communities.
• The Role of Districts in Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans: This guide serves as a complement to the “Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans” and provides information that can assist school districts in fulfilling both their individual and shared emergency planning responsibilities.    
• FEMA Sample School Emergency Operations Plan: A sample school EOP intended to be used for training purposes. 
• Best Practice Considerations for Armed Assailant Drills in Schools: This document from Safe and Sound Schools, NASP and NASRO provides guidance on factors schools must take into account when conducting armed assailant drills and reflects unique considerations within the school environment, including protecting both the physical and psychological safety of students and staff.   
• Emergency Exercises: An Effective Way to Practice and Validate Emergency Operations Plans: This fact sheet from REMS provides information on the types and benefits of emergency exercises, developing an effective emergency exercise program, post-exercise evaluations, obtaining stakeholder buy-in, and resources for emergency exercises. It also includes a case study on emergency exercises.
• Hierarchy of Education & Training Activities: This toolkit from Safe and Sound Schools provides examples of the forms and methods to educate and train students and staff to respond in an emergency. It includes examples of several models that begin with the most basic activities and progress to the most advanced.