The overarching goal of schools is to create a safe, supportive environment where students can thrive and learn. This begins with a dedication to students' social and emotional well-being, and effective policies and programs that create a culture of trust. Such a culture provides an optimal learning environment, and is also a proactive step…

Every day in America more than 50 million children go to neighborhood public schools. Parents send them off with every hope they will be safe while there. And yet, as has been the case in too many cities, violence shatters that hope. The Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI) seeks to lead in the effort to bolster schools…

This report offers information and advice to assist all levels of government in its work to establish evidence-based policies, programs, and practices across the life cycle of disasters. This report provides examples of effective community efforts with respect to people with disabilities, and evaluates many emergency preparedness, disaster relief,…

The only way to prepare for a violence-induced crisis in a school system is to develop a crisis-preparedness policy. Offers guidelines to a school board in developing such a plan. (MLF)

After tornado leveled Grand Prairie Elementary School (Joliet, Illinois), concerted effort by architects and the school community paid off when new school was opened two years later. Hallways in new building are staggered throughout school to avoid the creation of wind tunnels in event of another tornado. Guidelines for disaster preparations…

Crisis management teams in a rural New York State school district include 6 to 10 members. Each group must go through three days of intensive training that prepares them to deal with the media, legal issues, students, parents, and peers, while maintaining as much academic normalcy as possible in crisis situations. Lists crisis team…

To handle a death in the school community wisely and sensitively, school boards need to develop a death response policy. A policy developed by a diverse committee will be sensitive to the needs of the entire school community. Offers seven points to consider in drafting a policy. (MLF)

Analyzes school boards' response, in terms of crisis decision making, to a situation in which a superintendent was charged and later convicted of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student. Cites "Crucial Decisions," by Irving Janis, and offers recommendations to help board members be more effective decision makers. Presents an outline of…

Bus disaster drills have been held all over country for years. A drill in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, taught officials important lessons: (1) keep roster of students and stops in designated area on bus, and ensure emergency workers know where location; (2) send at least three school officials to accident scene; (3) provide school officials with…

School officials put a crisis communications plan into action after two Ohio students died and a third became critically ill from meningitis in May 2001. A mass immunization program prevented a major outbreak, and rumor control helped calm the public's fears. Recounts things learned from the experience. (MLF)

Educators are not preparing adequately for the possibility of a sudden catastrophe. Outlines a disaster recovery plan and the duties of a disaster recovery team. Lists 10 short-term disaster recovery procedures. (MLF)

When Issaquah (Washington) superintendent, after battling a brain tumor, entered the hospital for the last time, school district had to develop a crisis plan to deal with the possible death of the superintendent. A contingency planning team developed a telephone tree for school officials to keep in close contact with teachers and administrators.…

Safe schools require the collaboration and support of students, staff, parents, and the community. Lists 10 important steps school leaders can take. Contains a safe school quiz developed by the National School Safety Center to help gauge the situation at individual schools. (MLF)

In a campus crisis, while administrators address immediate needs, trustees must find a balance between involvement and oversight. Trustees should respond by developing a worst-case strategy; establishing early warning systems; defining "due diligence"; emphasizing candor and honesty; picking one spokesperson; protecting institutional privacy;…

Elementary and secondary schools deserve special attention with respect to seismic safety because of their special occupancy characteristics and their importance to immediate and long-term earthquake disaster relief and recovery efforts. Seismic safety provisions, when incorporated in a sound design from the very beginning, usually amount to only…