The administrative offices for a district burn to the ground. A tornado wipes out electrical service for all of the schools in another district for three weeks. Computer hackers take over a district’s mainframe, shutting staff out and wiping out years of stored data. Would your district be prepared for one of these events?
As we head into the winter months, it’s a good time to think about whether your district is prepared in the event that weather, fire or some other emergency significantly affects the district’s operations. OSBA has made Lessons Learned: Disaster tool kit for schools available on its website to help you have a plan in place if the worst occurs.
The tool kit emphasizes the need for districts to be proactive, anticipating the kinds of challenges they will fact in the event of a disaster, and reactive, handling these challenges when they actually occur. Among the topics covered in the tool kit are:
Communication and collaboration
- Prepare by having employee, student/parent, emergency services and insurance and legal contact information available in a safe location away from the school site.
- Make sure that student handbooks include information on who parents should contact, or where they should go to find additional information, in the event of an emergency.
- During the emergency, make sure that accurate information is dispersed to the appropriate sources (board members, news media and families) as it becomes available.
- Reach out to local and statewide resources early and often during an emergency situation.
Insurance/Legal
- Prepare by making sure your coverage is adequate in the event of a catastrophic loss, including coverage to replace at least half of your bus fleet.
- Keep a regular inventory of building contents, including inventories of work areas and classrooms. Consider using video or photographic inventories. Remember to keep copies of your inventories off site in a secure location.
- Contact your board counsel and insurance company as soon as possible in an emergency.
- Be prepared to hold board meetings in compliance with state law during the emergency.
Transportation/facilities
- Prepare by practicing safe evacuation drills and equipment (such as generators and fuel) readily available before an emergency occurs.
- If you have notice of the emergency, move your expensive equipment (such as buses) to a safer location.
- During cleanup after the emergency, make sure your staff is outfitted with appropriate safety clothing, masks, and protective wear.
Most importantly, remember that you’re not alone. There are lots of resources available for districts both while they are in the planning stages and while they are responding to a disaster situation. Among those resources are:
American Red Cross: www.redcross.org
U.S. Department of Education Crisis Planning Guide: www.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/emergencyplan/crisisplanning.pdf
National School Safety and Security Services: www.schoolsecurity.org/resources/crisis.html
American Academy of Children and Pediatrics: www.aap.org/disasters/index.cfm
Ohio Emergency Management Agency: www.ema.ohio.gov
Federal Emergency Management Agency: www.fema.gov
Ohio Safe Schools Center, University of Cincinnati: www.ebasedprevention.org