Emergency Preparedness

Illustration of a group of people forming the shape of a shield around a school building.
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School Climate & Safety Opinion 5 Critical Strategies to Make Your School Safer
There's no single solution to defend students’ physical, mental, and emotional health, but these five actionable steps are a place to start.
Doug Roberts, Ann Levett & Shanna Downs, June 1, 2023
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5 min read
A crowd of high school students stands in front of the Tennessee State Capitol holding protest signs calling for an end to gun violence.
Students protest gun violence in schools in front of the Capitol on April 3, 2023, in Nashville, Tenn. The protest was held one week after six people were killed by a shooter at The Covenant School, a private Presbyterian school, in Nashville.
Mark Humphrey/AP
School Climate & Safety After the Nashville Shooting, School Safety Proposals Echo Past Efforts
State and federal lawmakers have proposed increasing school police and arming teachers in response to a shooting at a private school.
Evie Blad, April 6, 2023
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8 min read
High angle photograph of a group of teenagers sitting in a circle during group therapy.
Katarzyna Bialasiewicz/iStock<br/>
Student Well-Being How Districts Can Respond to a Student's Suicide
A student's death by suicide is a particularly challenging crisis for school leaders to navigate, and it comes with the risk of "contagion."
Caitlynn Peetz, February 22, 2023
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9 min read
People gather for a vigil honoring the victims of a shooting several days earlier at Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Monday, Jan. 23, 2023, in Monterey Park, Calif. A gunman killed multiple people late Saturday amid Lunar New Year's celebrations in the predominantly Asian American community.
Two days after a mass shooting that killed 11 people, people gather for a vigil outside the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park, Calif. In the aftermath of shootings and other community violence, educators are called on to help students process their emotions and help them feel safe.
Ashley Landis/AP
School Climate & Safety Guidance on Responding to Students' Questions About Shootings
A guide for educators on ways to foster a sense of safety and security among students at a time when gun violence seems widespread.
Laura Baker, January 24, 2023
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4 min read
Close up of hands holding a smartphone and working at a laptop near a window showing a snowy day
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School & District Management 5 Tips for Switching From Snow Days to Remote Classes
Two district leaders say communication, flexibility, and adaptability are key to success.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 23, 2023
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4 min read
Image of a carbon monoxide detector with a blurred blueprint in the background.
iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Many Schools Don't Have Carbon Monoxide Detectors. Are They Overlooking the Risk?
Less than a quarter of states have laws requiring carbon monoxide detectors in school buildings.
Lauraine Langreo, January 20, 2023
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5 min read
Buses parked covered with snow
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Will Schools Actually Ditch Snow Days for Virtual Learning? The Outlook Is Still Cloudy
More districts are substituting some remote learning, but snow days are still an option in many places.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 20, 2023
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5 min read
Buffalo Bills players and staff pray for Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, in Cincinnati. The game has been postponed after Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin collapsed, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced.
Players and staff pray for the Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin after the 24-year-old athlete suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Joshua A. Bickel/AP
Student Well-Being Cardiac Arrests Can Happen to Student-Athletes, Too. How Schools Can Be Ready
The cardiac arrest of NFL safety Damar Hamlin has heightened awareness that schools need to be prepared for such health emergencies.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 4, 2023
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4 min read
Beulah Stand, a sixth grade math teacher at John Hopkins, carries her pillow and a suitcase into the Pinellas County special needs shelter at John Hopkins Middle School, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022 in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Florida's west coast prepares for Hurricane Ian. Stand will be staying at the center to work during the storm. The evacuation center, which is only for people with special needs, has a capacity of over 700 people.
Beulah Stand, a 6th grade math teacher at John Hopkins, carries her pillow and a suitcase into the Pinellas County special needs shelter at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg, Fla., as Florida's west coast prepares for Hurricane Ian. Stand will be staying at the center to work during the storm. The evacuation center, which is only for people with special needs, has a capacity of over 700 people.
Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP
School & District Management Will Schools Reopen Quickly After Hurricane Ian Passes? It Depends
Even before district leaders started shelter operations, they were getting asked when kids could return.
Jeffrey S. Solochek, Tampa Bay Times, September 29, 2022
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3 min read
A Black man in jeans and a tan, short-sleeve shirt and navy pants holds a cell phone to his ear with one hand while he uses his other hand to drag a large grey trash can filled with water from a nearby tanker truck across a school parking lot.
Santonia Matthews, a custodian at Forest Hill High School in Jackson, Miss., hauls away a trash can filled with water from a tanker in the school's parking lot Wednesday. A recent flood worsened Jackson's longstanding water system problems, forcing schools to switch to remote learning.
Rogelio V. Solis/AP
School & District Management Emergency Readiness Lessons From a District's Water Crisis
District leaders in Jackson, Miss., relied on "muscle memory" to get kids back in remote learning when the city's water system failed.
Evie Blad, September 2, 2022
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7 min read
Daylight pours in through the damaged roof of a classroom at Springfield Elementary School which has remained closed since Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Fla, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt said the county's student population has decreased by 14 percent since the storm, with some individual schools down by more than 40 percent.
Daylight pours in through the damaged roof of a classroom at Springfield Elementary School which has remained closed since Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, Fla, Thursday, Jan. 24, 2019. Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt said the county's student population has decreased by 14 percent since the storm, with some individual schools down by more than 40 percent.
David Goldman/AP
School & District Management Video Climate Disasters: Hear From School Leaders Who Lived Through Them
Climate disasters continue to impact schools and their communities. Here is advice from school leaders on how to prepare for, and recover from, the destruction and disruption.
Lilia Geho, September 1, 2022
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5:06
Image of an evacuation plan.
cheyennezj/iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety Protecting Students With Disabilities in an Emergency: 5 Key Strategies
Students with disabilities are often left out of discussions about school safety. Here are five ways to ensure their needs are being met.
Libby Stanford, July 21, 2022
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5 min read
Image of a student in a wheelchair in a hallway.
vm/iStock/Getty
School Climate & Safety In a School Emergency, Special Educators Feel the 'Weight of the World'
As society debates safety practices in the wake of school shootings, protecting students with disabilities poses particular challenges.
Libby Stanford, July 20, 2022
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8 min read
A student helps block the classroom door with furniture during a mock lockdown drill at Moody High School in Corpus Christi, Texas on Jan. 22, 2013.
A student helps block the classroom door with furniture during a mock lockdown drill at Moody High School in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP
School Climate & Safety School Shooter Drills: Is There a Right Way to Do Them?
Can schools use drills to prepare students for a crisis like shootings without traumatizing them?
Evie Blad, June 9, 2022
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10 min read
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