This dissertation examines the fidelity in which school districts are prepared to implement their reunification plan in the event of a tragedy or emergency. School emergencies continue to occur, and safety plans need to be developed and administered to support and protect students and staff. This dissertation is organized into two separate papers. Paper 1 is a review of literature specific to community and school emergencies and emergency operations plans for a variety of school organizations. Paper 2 is an empirical study that explored the extent to which schools in a DuPage County, a large collar county in Northern Illinois, were prepared to implement their reunification plans. Qualitative interviews were conducted with representatives from nine school districts to determine how prepared school districts were to implement their reunification plan in the event of an emergency situation. It was determined that school districts in DuPage County are prepared at very different levels. Some are well prepared and have practiced and/or have implemented their plans. While others are not fully prepared to implement a reunification plan successfully. This research is important because there can be a lot of harm caused to all stakeholders in the event of reunification, and if an event or emergency is foreseeable, then school districts need to be prepared to address the situation. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]