An air quality problem originating with a steam leak in an improperly maintained heating system resulted in unanticipated expenses of $420,000 for the Lakeview (Michigan) School District. Indoor air quality complaints require immediate investigation and action; clear communication to parents, staff, and media representatives; competent…

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)

Provides expert guidelines on ways to keep schools and children safe from building fires, such as maintenance of exits for easy egress in emergencies, maintaining fire-protection systems, and utilizing evacuation planning and drilling. Highlights fire-safety ideas as part of school-building and renovation projects. (GR)

The need for school-appropriate applications of critical incident stress management (CISM) is noted in the literature on school crisis response. This paper presents preliminary data suggesting a School Crisis Response Team's (SCRT) usage and team needs. The SCRT was dispatched for a variety of critical incidents. Self-dispatch, followed by…

When there is the unexpected disaster of any kind, school personnel, students, parents and communities expect to rely on communication and critical services such as payroll and access to student information the district provides and therefore the technology that supports them. Disaster recovery of IT-related operations and information is critical…

The primary goal was to develop and implement a school-based, trauma-specific intervention program for inner-city children exposed to the World Trade Center attacks on September 11th, 2001. The feasibility and acceptability of the program, and its research component, were examined. The efficacy of the program was evaluated in a pilot study.…

Broad access to quality, child-friendly education in emergencies is a critical component of early reconstruction and development. As a class of graduate students at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, our goal is to make a modest contribution to the field of education in emergencies by working…

Designed as a "Participant's Manual" to be used as part of a "Chemical and Mercury Management in Schools Training," this document focuses on the policies and programs needed at the school and district level for safe and sustainable chemical and mercury management practices. This document is designed primarily for school…

This publication provides abstracts of 58 active and 42 completed projects designed to improve emergency medical services for children (EMSC). The projects were funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services' Maternal and Child Health Bureau, in collaboration with the United States Department of Transportation's National…

Guidelines to help local school systems in Maryland develop a comprehensive emergency plan and to increase student awareness are offered in this handbook. Following the introduction, chapter 1 outlines the roles of all participants in emergency planning and response. Chapter 2 describes the process for preparing an emergency plan, including…

The plan presented in this revised manual is designed to minimize the potential for disaster in the E. H. Butler Library at the State University of New York College at Buffalo, and to minimize damage to materials in the event of a disaster. It contains emergency instructions, evacuation procedures, a disaster contact list, and information on…

This Nome flood report indicates that immediate response by local and state sanitarians prevented major epidemics and provided solutions to waste disposal and health maintenance problems. In the end, most of the clean-up work was done by experienced sanitarians working with the cooperation of people in their own area. (MA)

The objectives of this study were to determine the following: (1) what actions Federal agencies have taken to reduce or eliminate barriers to obtaining and using funds provided by the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act; (2) the adequacy of Federal program oversight; and (3) the status of program expenditure rates. The programs reviewed…

Although hundreds of state and local organizations provide homelessness prevention assistance, the Government Accounting Office (GAO) could not determine the effectiveness of this assistance because few assistance providers have the resources available to collect the client follow-up data needed for evaluation. Homelessness prevention programs,…

Refugee assistance policies and programs should be reoriented to ensure both short- and long-term physical, social, and mental well-being. This approach must fully encompass primary health care and embrace a wide range of activities and programs that are not traditionally viewed as health-related. The refugee assistance community is sometimes…