Emergency Preparedness

Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
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School & District Management It's Not Just Snow Days: How Can Districts Work Extreme Weather Into Their Calendars?
Extreme weather that's becoming more frequent is challenging districts with novel choices about when it's safe to stay open.
Caitlynn Peetz, March 7, 2024
5 min read
Visitors walk past a makeshift memorial honoring those recently killed at Robb Elementary School, Tuesday, July 12, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. A Texas lawmaker says surveillance video from the school hallway where police waited as a gunman opened fire in a fourth-grade classroom will be shown this weekend to residents of Uvalde.
Visitors walk past a makeshift memorial on July 12, 2022, honoring those killed at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in a May 2022 school shooting. Nearly a year after the Uvalde shooting, lawmakers in Texas passed a bill requiring that every public school classroom have a panic alarm system.
Eric Gay/AP
School Climate & Safety Could Panic Buttons Save Lives in a School Shooting? More Schools Think So
There's legislative momentum to require panic alarm systems in schools. But many districts are installing the systems without a mandate.
Caitlynn Peetz, January 30, 2024
6 min read
Illustration about warnings, with a businessman and woman each holding a with megaphone in front of a caution symbol.
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School Climate & Safety Opinion How to Strengthen the Safety and Security of Your School
Resources, guidance, and best practices can help leaders feel ready and empowered to improve their school’s safety and security.
Lindsay Burton & Michelle Kefford, January 22, 2024
6 min read
Image of a red glowing caution sign over a dark field of data.
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Privacy & Security 3 Superintendents Share Cybersecurity Best Practices
Cyberattacks cause major disruptions to learning, but school districts are still struggling to put in place effective protections.
Lauraine Langreo, January 10, 2024
3 min read
Brian Hall, an armed community safety officer dedicated to the elementary schools in the Prince William County school system, monitors hallways at Ashland Elementary School in Manassas, Va.
Brian Hall, an armed community safety officer in the Prince William County school system, monitors hallways at Ashland Elementary School in Manassas, Va.
T.J. Kirkpatrick for Education Week
School Climate & Safety 5 Key School Safety Conversations for Districts
School districts face challenging decisions about issues like swatting calls, policing, and safety drills.
Evie Blad, December 20, 2023
9 min read
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Federal FEMA's Emergency Alert Test May Disrupt Classes. Here's How Schools Should Prepare
FEMA will test its national emergency alert system Wednesday, involving an alert sent out to all cell phones at the same time.
Libby Stanford, October 3, 2023
4 min read
McNichols Plaza second grade teacher Nicole Ralicke barricades a door in a Scranton High School classroom as the school goes into lockdown during an active shooter training exercise for Scranton School District teachers and staff with the Scranton Police Department in Scranton, Pa., on Sept. 6, 2022.
Teacher Nicole Ralicke practices barricading a door in a classroom during an active shooter training exercise for teachers and staff who work in the Scranton school district in Scranton, Pa., on Sept. 6, 2022.
Christopher Dolan/The Times-Tribune via AP
School Climate & Safety How a New Training Eases Teachers' Anxiety About Emergency Drills
The training incorporates mental health support into emergency preparedness.
Madeline Will, August 25, 2023
7 min read
A shirtless man in shorts stands by a light pole as he looks down a smoke-filled street toward burning buildings.
People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Aug. 8, 2023. Maui officials say a wildfire in the historic town has burned parts of one of the most popular tourist areas in Hawaii.
Alan Dickar via AP
School & District Management Hawaii Wildfires Thrust Educators Into Disaster Response Roles
The devastating fires destroyed homes and schools, displacing students and leaving educators scrambling to shelter them.
Evie Blad & Lydia McFarlane, August 10, 2023
4 min read
Illustration of road map and pins.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
School & District Management 4 Tips to Help Schools Prepare for the Next Pandemic
Now is the time for thoughtful pandemic planning, experts say, with insights from COVID-19 fresh in educators' memories.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 17, 2023
4 min read
Image of strategy planning flow chart.
Hiob/iStock/Getty
School & District Management How Can Districts Prepare for the Next Pandemic?
There's some evidence that more school districts have prepared for the next pandemic and specifically considered how to keep classes going.
Caitlynn Peetz, July 14, 2023
7 min read
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
5 min read
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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
8 min read
High angle photograph of a group of teenagers sitting in a circle during group therapy.
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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
9 min read