"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
School
shootings, bomb threats, bullying and much more have been in the news
more and more the past few weeks and months. Is your school prepared?
Is there a plan? Now is the time to find out.
The
United States Department of Education has made the following
recommendation: “We strongly urge schools to have a plan for
dealing with crisis, including crisis such as school shootings
(including lockdowns), suicides, and major accidents, as well as
large-scale disasters (including natural disasters), such as the
events of September 11, that have significant impact on schools
throughout the country… Schools that do not have a school
safety plan should implement a plan immediately.”
Teachers,
administrators, school support staff, and classroom volunteers, are
the first responders during any emergency which occurs in our
schools, but are they prepared? As I researched I discovered that
over a three month period there was a minimum of three school
lockdowns every day somewhere in the United States. I was amazed at
the places where these were happening, from small rural schools, to
large inner city schools and in every state. I also discovered that
in my own community the Department of Homeland Security was informing
local police departments that a terrorist attack on small schools was
a real possibility.
Having
been involved in a school lockdown myself, I know how frightening
they can be. In my case there was a gunman on the loose after he had
shot someone in an apartment complex a block from the school. I was
in the counseling office between class assignments and there was
plenty of food and water – but no restroom. Immediately I
thought of my son, and realized he was in band. Hallelujah! There was
a restroom in the music building. As we waited for several hours,
parents began arriving to pick up their high school students. There
was no plan in place, so we watched as parents and their younger
children walked around outside the school while we were in lockdown
and there was a gunman close by. There was no plan beyond locking the
students in.
So
what can you do? First, determine what disasters might threaten the
schools your children attend. Should the schools be prepared for
earthquakes, flash floods, wildfires, or loss of power during winter
conditions? All schools should be preparing for terrorist attacks,
lockdowns and school fires.
Now
you can help them prepare by asking some specific questions of your
school principal and school board. If the questions have never been
asked, the solutions are probably not in place.
Does
your school have a written emergency plan? If so, ask for a copy and
read it carefully to determine if it answers the following questions.
If they don’t have one, it is time to get involved and help
create a plan or improve upon the one already in place.
A good plan should include:
A
Crisis Management Team. This team should include administrators,
teachers and classified staff members who all have specific
assignments during an emergency. A clear chain of command should be
in place and individual assignments and responsibilities should
include:
Safe evacuation.
Notification of authorities.
Notification of parents.
Identification and confirmation of the location of every student.
Medical assistance.
Student needs such as sanitation, food, and water.
Communication between all school employees.
Parent and student reunification.
A
Communication Plan:
How
will the staff communicate with each other during a crisis?
If
the electricity is out, how will they communicate? Does the school
have walkie-talkies, a public address system?
What
is the plan to notify the office if a child was out of the classroom
when the emergency or lockdown occurred?
How
will the school notify parents? Is there a web notification plan in
place? Will there be a taped phone message? Can this be delivered
to more than one phone number? If the school will only notify you at
one phone number and you have more than one child in the school,
make their emergency phone numbers different, just in case you are
away from your phone. One child could use your cell phone number and
one your spouse’s cell or work number, or a grandparent’s
number.
How
will the school notify students who are outside of the building in a
PE class or at lunch that they need to return to the building?
How
and who will decide whether school should be dismissed early and how
parents will be notified?
Is
there parent contact information available in the classroom as well
as in the office?
Training:
Have
all school staff been trained in emergency first aid and CPR?
Have
staff been trained in evacuation and report procedures, and have
they held practice drills?
Have
children been trained and drilled in the proper response to a likely
emergency? In other words, if you live in earthquake country do they
practice drop and cover? Do they know what to do in event of a
lockdown, and has it been practiced?
Have
staff been trained how to reunite children with their parents or
designated caregiver? When my daughter lived in North Carolina,
children stood with their teacher every day at dismissal time until
the teacher saw the parent or caregiver and then the child was
allowed to leave.
Is
there similar staff training available for parent volunteers?
How
often does training occur?
Security Procedures:
How
is visitor access monitored?
How
many doors are left unlocked with free access available during the
school day?
What
security is in place for large gatherings such as athletic events
and assemblies?
Are
there parking lots next to classrooms which are open to public
parking? We have not experienced many car bombs at schools but they
are a real possibility. Also, if it is only a few feet from a parked
car to a place where students gather, how easy would it be for a
child to be snatched? Parking next to a classroom should be
eliminated or fenced off, locked, and available for staff parking
only, whenever possible.
How
are students picked up after school? Are there staff members
available to control traffic and observe adults picking up children?
Has
the staff been trained to recognize suspicious mail?
Do
students and staff know how to spot and report suspicious activity
on and around school grounds?
How
often are security procedures reviewed?
Evacuation:
When
will a school evacuation be ordered?
Where
is the student evacuation site? An evacuation site should be close
enough for students to walk.
It
should be free of barriers such as fences and streams. It should
provide shelter if possible.
Disaster Supplies:
Does
each classroom and office have the following supplies?
Nonperishable
food (such as energy bars with a 5-year shelf life – which
will save money and time in the long run).
Water.
Battery
or crank radio, one with a siren is even better!
First
aid kit.
Flashlight
or glow sticks (I like glow sticks because you don’t have to
worry about batteries).
Mylar
space blankets (can be used as blankets or have a slit cut in them
for protection from the rain or snow. Yes, earthquakes and other
disaster can happen when it is raining or snowing).
Sanitation
supplies including a port-a-potty, wet wipes, TP and biohazard bags.
Last year a teacher was fired after a school lockdown for allowing
his students to use a trash can as a potty. He had the students of
the same sex surround the student using the facility, but he was
later told this was unacceptable even though the school was in
lockdown. He was told he should have called the office and someone
would have come for the kids. Serioously? How is that a lockdown? If
there is enough danger for a lockdown to be issued at all, why would
you usher kids from a classroom and put them in harm’s way,
for any reason, except a life threatening illness or injury?
Duct
tape and sheeting – it’s great to cover windows if there
is a threat on campus. Mylar blankets also work great to tape over
windows for privacy or to keep rooms cool if the emergency happens
in hot weather and power is out.
Whistle
Student
attendance roll with contact information.
Supplies
should be contained in backpacks or buckets with handles so thy can
easily be moved to an evacuation area.
Now
that you understand the needs that may be unmet in your schools, get
involved and get busy. It should not be difficult to get school
boards and community members involved in making sure classrooms are
adequately supplied.
You
may need to help supplement school or district budgets to accomplish
your goals. Parents are usually more than happy to contribute a few
dollars to make sure their children are protected. Some schools are
now requiring either a personal preparedness kit or parents are
assessed an amount to provide a classroom kit. Remind the community
that even if students never use the supplies you have on hand,
schools are often designated as shelters during a disaster and they
will be invaluable at that time. We all know relief agencies have
warned us to be prepared to be on our own for at least the first 72
hours, even in a shelter.
We
can never protect our children from all emergencies, under all
circumstances, but we need to make that our goal. We need to work to
be as prepared as humanly possible. Whether in elementary school,
high school, or college, our children deserve our most thoughtful
efforts to see that they are protected and provided for in the event
of a real emergency – which is proven to be possible in any
neighborhood or community – even yours!
How
is your evacuation month coming? Questions? Ask Carolyn at
Carolyn@TotallyReady.com
Visit
Carolyn’s Totally Ready facebook page
to ask questions and get answers to your self-reliance questions.
Carolyn Nicolaysen grew up in New Jersey and joined the Church while attending Central
College in Pella, Iowa. With a degree in Home Economics, she later worked as a high school
teacher, and served as an elected trustee of her local school board. Carolyn has taught personal
and family preparedness to all who will listen. Having lived in areas that were threatened by
winter storms, hurricanes and tornadoes, and now living in an earthquake prone area, she has
developed a passion for preparedness. Carolyn started her own business, TotallyReady, when she
saw the need for higher quality emergency information that could truly sustain families in a
disaster.
Carolyn is FEMA trained and is an Amateur Radio first responder. She serves as Relief Society
president of her California ward.
Carolyn is the author of three ebooks, Mother Hubbard, What She's Doing Now (food storage
for the 21st century), Prep Not Panic (preparing for a pandemic of medical emergency) and That
Won't Happen to Me (a discussion of disaster preparations). She has also authored a glove box
book, Totally Ready for the Road and writes a monthly newsletter and the Totally Ready
facebook page.