Emergency Preparedness

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
•
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
•
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
•
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
•
4 min read
Image of a school hallway with icons representing lockdowns, SRO, metal detectors.
via Canva
School Climate & Safety Most Teachers Worry a Shooting Could Happen at Their School
Teachers say their schools could do more to prepare them for an active-shooter situation.
Evie Blad, April 11, 2024
•
4 min read
Concept of counting down days. Hand is marking out dates on monthly calendar.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
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.
Nuthawut Somsuk/iStock/Getty
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.
Getty
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
100223 fema message stanford fs 1386405716
F. Sheehan for Education Week / Getty
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
Load More ▼