Emergency Preparedness

Are You Ready? emergency road sign.
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School & District Management 'It Sounds Strange': What Districts Can Do Now to Be Ready for Natural Disasters
It's tempting to push natural disaster preparations to the backburner. These district leaders advise against it.
Caitlynn Peetz, December 10, 2024
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4 min read
Vector illustration of a businessman trying to catapult through stack of warning signs.
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School Climate & Safety How to Judge If Anonymous Threats to Schools Are Legit: 5 Expert Tips
School officials need to take all threats seriously, but the nature of the threat can inform the size of the response.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 21, 2024
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3 min read
Tightly cropped photo of hands on a laptop with a red glowing danger icon with the exclamation mark inside of a triangle overlaying the photo
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School Climate & Safety What Schools Need To Know About Anonymous Threats—And How to Prevent Them
Anonymous threats are on the rise. Schools should act now to plan their responses, but also take measures to prevent them.
Caitlynn Peetz, November 20, 2024
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3 min read
President Joe Biden signs an executive order that aims to help schools make active shooter drills less traumatic for students, during an event with Vice President Kamala Harris and others in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024.
President Joe Biden signs an executive order that aims to help schools make active shooter drills more effective and less traumatic for students during an event with Vice President Kamala Harris and others in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Sept. 26, 2024.
Susan Walsh/AP
School Climate & Safety Prepared But Not Scared: Biden Orders New Guidance on School Drills
Biden ordered new federal guidance on active shooter drills in schools.
Evie Blad, September 27, 2024
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3 min read
Photograph of crime scene tape and school.
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School Climate & Safety Preparing for and Responding to School Threats: Resources for Administrators
Resources to help schools prepare for and respond to threats of violence.
Evie Blad, September 24, 2024
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4 min read
Boardman high school principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill, on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio.
Principal Cynthia Fernback checks classroom doors to make sure they are locked during a lockdown drill on Feb. 14, 2019, in Boardman, Ohio. A new survey from the RAND Corporation finds that most teachers don't feel safer from participating in lockdown drills.
Tony Dejak/AP
School Climate & Safety Lockdown Drills Don't Make Teachers Feel Safer
More teachers than not also say the ubiquitous simulations don't help them feel more prepared for an active shooter or other emergency.
Libby Stanford, September 23, 2024
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6 min read
Illustration of sad/angry boy.
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School Climate & Safety A Surge of Violent School Threats Creates a Communication Crisis for Districts
School threats requires districts to juggle nuanced messages for parents, students, and communities.
Evie Blad, September 20, 2024
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6 min read
092024 river grove thumbnail BS
School & District Management Video Tour a School Built to Stay Open in Extreme Weather
River Grove Elementary is built to stay open, with the lights on, as extreme weather strikes.
Caitlynn Peetz & Kaylee Domzalski, September 20, 2024
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2 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Community members set up a makeshift memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Saturday, Sept. 7, after a two teachers and two students died in a shooting there. Schools around the country have responded to hundreds of threats since that Sept. 4 shooting.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety Schools Respond to Surge of Threats After Georgia School Shooting
Bomb threats, copycats, and pranks—some from outside the United States—have disrupted schools across the nation.
Evie Blad, September 17, 2024
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5 min read
A memorial is seen at Apalachee High School after the school shooting, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
A memorial at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., honors victims of the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting in which two 14-year-old students and two teachers were killed.
Mike Stewart/AP
School Climate & Safety A Resource Guide to Help Schools Move Forward After a Shooting
Administrators have a responsibility no one wants in the wake of school violence. Here are some resources to help.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 12, 2024
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4 min read
Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith provides an update on the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
Barrow Sheriff Jud Smith provides an update on the shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Ga., on Sept. 4, 2024.
John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via TNS
School Climate & Safety Why Responding to Student Threats Is So Complicated
News that the FBI got a tip a year before a Georgia school shooting sparked questions about whether the attack could have been avoided.
Evie Blad & Olina Banerji, September 5, 2024
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8 min read
Flowers are placed at the foot of the welcome sign to Apalachee High School for a makeshift memorial Thursday morning, Sept. 5, 2024, in Winder, Ga.
Flowers are placed at the foot of the welcome sign to Apalachee High School for a makeshift memorial Thursday morning, Sept. 5, 2024, in Winder, Ga. Police said an emergency alert system that was new to the school notified them to the emergency, allowing them to respond quickly and prevent the attack from becoming deadlier.
John Spink/The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via TNS
School Climate & Safety A Panic Button May Have Saved Lives in Ga. School Shooting. Here's What We Know
Police said an emergency system that alerted them to a shooting at Apalachee High School kept the tragedy from becoming worse.
Caitlynn Peetz, September 5, 2024
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5 min read
Image of students taking a test.
smolaw11/iStock/Getty
IT Infrastructure & Management How Schools Can Survive a Global Tech Meltdown
The CrowdStrike incident this summer is a cautionary tale for schools.
Kevin Bushweller, August 28, 2024
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8 min read
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
City of Hialeah Police Commander Orlando Salvat, right, and Sgt. Rolando Rios, left, rush to a simulated active shooting as instructor Vincent Torres, center, follows during a training session, Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla.
Wilfredo Lee/AP
School Climate & Safety Video Active Shooter Drills That Prepare But Don't Traumatize: Advice From Principals
Striking a balance is essential, principals say.
Olina Banerji & Sam Mallon, July 31, 2024
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4 min read
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