A Colorado school district chose self-testing, self-diagnostic emergency lighting equipment, specially designed to monitor all phases of an emergency lighting unit's operation and performance. (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…

A school district's risk manager must provide the leadership in risk management for district special events. Tables list the following: (1) seven reasons for event failures, and preventive measures to take; (2) risk analysis checklist; and (3) event planning outline. (MLF)

Camps should always have a crisis management plan, but the events of September 11, 2001, make it especially important. Honest communication with parents is paramount--directors should choose their words carefully and control the tone of their voices. Examples are given of crises involving weather, transportation, and a shooting. Questions to…

Guidelines to assist local school authorities in the development and implementation of an emergency preparedness program are provided in this booklet. The first part describes the stages and components of an emergency preparation program, some of which include response organization and control, school closing and reopening, communication,…

This guidebook is designed to help principals, teachers, staff, parents, and students develop an emergency guide for their school. Besides preparing a response plan, emergency planners must identify hazards, conduct drills, and involve the school community in planning to provide care and shelter for students until they can be reunited with their…

Information to assist the school community develop and adapt a self-sufficient safety program for its school is presented in this workbook. Steps involved in the planning process are outlined in section 2. Section 3 describes how to estimate potential earthquake impact and how to identify hazards. The fourth section discusses what to expect and…

Risks to institutional data processing operations include physical damage, violations of data integrity, and restrictions of physical access. Development of a responsive and effective disaster recovery program is complex, requires significant effort and the use of specialized personnel, and spans all major disciplines and organizational levels.…

Dealing with the effects of a crisis on school children and staff is not the primary mission of schools, nor is it the reason why most educators or school administrators entered the profession. Not surprisingly, therefore, many schools do not plan for or prepare to respond to a crisis that might affect their students and staff. This book, designed…

This manual provides a brief framework of organization that serves as a response tool for a wide spectrum of crisis circumstances encountered by schools. It is meant to be a generic guide for school teams and should be customized by each school that uses it. Even with emergency procedures in place, each crisis at a school needs to be evaluated as…

This guide for teachers in times of trauma was updated after the events of September 11, 2001--the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. These traumatic events could cause refugees to experience trauma or become re-traumatized. For many refugees, their English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) programs are the places where they…

This digest presents ways that school administrators can realistically assess their schools' security needs. It opens by reporting that some types of school violence are declining, such as self-reported weapon carrying and fighting on school property, which reflects an overall decline in youth violence. However, schools still must perform…

Guidelines for first aid procedures for temporary relief of dental emergencies include information on: (1) dental first aid supplies; (2) treatment of oral injuries; (3) orthodontic emergencies; (4) toothaches; and (5) prolonged bleeding due to an extraction. Consulting a dentist as soon as possible is strongly recommended. (JN)

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…

Outlines 21 actions, both immediate and over the long term, that administrators can take to protect students and schools from terrorist activities. Includes establishing a chain of command, a command post, a crisis response team, a communications staff, and inservice training. (four references) (MLF)