K-12 Education Emergency Management Guide

• IAEM USA K-12 Caucus published a guide for K-12 Education Emergency Managers in May 2024
• The document emphasizes the importance of effective Emergency Management (EM) programs in K-12 education to ensure student and staff safety

Applicability and Scope

• The principles outlined are recommended for all K-12 institutions, including public, charter, and private schools
• The guide aims to provide basic concepts and objectives for EM practitioners, adaptable to different staffing, funding, and resource levels

Terminology

• "K-12 emergency manager" refers to safety, security, and EM professionals in K-12 settings, regardless of their specific title
• "School/district" encompasses any campus, private school, charter school, or K-12 school district
• "Administrator" includes school and district leadership, such as superintendents, principals, and directors

The Five Phases of Emergency Management

• The EM process includes Preparedness, Prevention, Mitigation, Response, and Recovery
• These phases need to be specifically tailored to the unique environment, challenges, hazards, threats, and obstacles faced in K-12 settings

Preparedness

• Establishing the foundation for effective response through hazard summaries, emergency plans, drills, and training
• Conducting routine emergency drills to ensure staff and students are familiar with emergency procedures

Prevention

• Reduce the likelihood of emergencies, this involves implementing safety measures and policies
• Implementing a layered security approach, security cameras, access control, and behavioral threat assessments

Mitigation

• The goal of this phase is to minimize the impact of unavoidable emergencies through structural enhancements, environmental modifications, and community engagement efforts
• Retrofitting buildings to withstand severe weather, earthquakes, and flooding

Response

• Executing emergency plans during an incident to ensure life safety, property preservation, and a rapid transition to incident recovery
• Maintaining situational awareness, standardizing incident management, ensuring timely communications, and coordinating with stakeholders

Recovery

• This includes short-term and long-term recovery
• Restoring the learning environment, supporting well-being, mental health services, infrastructure repairs, and community rebuilding

Presidential Policy Directive 8 (PPD-8)

• PPD-8 outlines the national approach to preparedness and serves as the basis for the National Preparedness System and Goal

National Preparedness System (NPS)

• NPS builds and delivers core capabilities to meet the National Preparedness Goal (NPG)
• NPS defines the process for communities to achieve preparedness goals and includes five national planning frameworks

National Preparedness Goal (NPG)

• NPG is the cornerstone for implementing PPD-8, identifying core capabilities across five mission areas

Goal

• Secure and resilient nation with the capabilities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards

Five Mission Areas

• Consist of prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery

Prevention

• Prevent, avoid, or stop imminent, threatened, or actual acts of terrorism

Protection

• Protect citizens, residents, visitors, and assets against threats and hazards, supporting interests and way of life

Mitigation

• Reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of future disasters

Response

• Respond quickly to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs after a catastrophic incident

Recovery

• Recover through restoration, strengthening, and revitalization of infrastructure, housing, economy, and community fabric

Core Capabilities

• NPG identifies 32 core capabilities under the five mission areas, addressing the greatest risks to the nation
• Strengthening core capabilities helps K-12 EM focus planning, training, and drills to improve skills, acquire equipment, and develop effective procedures
• Each of these core capabilities is tied to a capability target

Evaluating Hazards through Risk Assessment

• Involves identifying threats and hazards, assessing their likelihood and impact, and developing prevention and mitigation strategies

EM Program Administration

• Establishing clear policies and procedures for a standardized approach to EM across schools
• Ensuring adequate resource allocation, including funding, personnel, and technology
• Providing ongoing training and education for staff, students, parents, and stakeholders
• Establishing communication protocols for timely and accurate information dissemination
• Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders for a comprehensive approach to EM

IPP Development

• Frequent training sessions for staff, students, parents and external stakeholders on emergency procedures and protocols develop a culture of preparedness
• Integrate preparedness and response capabilities by conducting frequent training
• Through emergency drills and exercises, you can test and refine emergency plans and procedures

Monitoring and Refinement

• Continuous monitoring and improvement are essential for effective EM programs
• Evaluating training outcomes, exercises, and incidents through debriefings and after-action reports helps identify areas for improvement
• Analyzing data from incidents, drills, and exercises provides insights into the EM program's strengths and weaknesses
• Establish feedback mechanisms from staff, students, and stakeholders for continuous improvement
• The EM program must be adaptable to evolving threats, changes in the school environment, and lessons learned

Monitoring and Improvement Data

• Program enhancements use collected data and feedback
• Lessons learned from incidents are incorporated into revisions
• Stakeholders engage to align with community needs

District Evaluation and Overview Issues

• School districts are not always designed for emergency operations
• Key roles may not include formal EM or standardized procedures
• Principals and staff play a crucial role in executing EM plans
• The Incident Command System (ICS) streamlines incident management

Hazard Summary

• Each school/district faces unique hazards based on geography
• Completing a thorough hazard summary allows for adequate planning
• Consideration of natural disasters, human-caused events, public health emergencies, and technological hazards
• Plotting risks and calculating frequency and life safety impact informs planning

Resources, Capacity, and Capability

• Personnel resources are the backbone of emergency response
• Availability of trained personnel influences capacity and capabilities
• Cross-training mitigates personnel limitations
• Mitigate the risk of personnel limitations by implementing cross-training initiatives to ensure a redundant, coordinated response and recovery operation

EM Program Launch and Administration

• Begins with risk assessment and creation of tailored emergency response plans
• Plans are communicated, and training is provided
• An exercise program identifies gaps and interdependencies
• Ongoing administration involves plan reviews based on drills and incidents
• A centralized repository for emergency documentation is implemented

Personnel, Training, and Exercises

• Regular training ensures awareness of emergency protocols
• Exercises simulate real emergencies, providing practical experience
• Regular emergency drills ensures the development of muscle memory and familiarity with potential outcomes and contingencies
• Debriefings continuously improve strategies

Monitoring and Refining EM Program Priorities

• Continuous monitoring and data collection evaluate the EM program
• Regular assessments and improvement planning are essential
• The refinement process incorporates lessons learned from incidents
• Stakeholder engagement ensures program alignment

District Evaluation and Overview Priority

• This phase familiarizes individuals with district personnel, EM operations, and jurisdictional collaboration

Recommendation 1.1: Familiarize with district personnel

• Identify personnel overseeing essential departments, including: facilities, life/safety, communications, IT, transportation, special needs, food services, health services, before/after school programs, athletics, fiscal services, and student services
• These personnel are essential to EM operations

Recommendation 1.2: Establish Incident Command System

• The Incident Command System structure is crucial for managing emergencies
• ICS ensures clear chains of command and defined roles
• ICS establishes coordination and communication among responders
• ICS promotes scalability and flexibility for various emergencies
• ICS provides a systematic approach to resource management
• ICS fosters unified command among multiple agencies
• Many responders are trained in ICS principles
• ICS includes mechanisms for accountability and documentation
• The goal enhances safety for students and staff

Creating a School/District's ICS Structure

• Assign roles and request completion of recommended trainings like IS-100 and IS-700 by assigned positions
• Schedule training and standardization and monitor emergency drills
• To develop tabletop exercise scenarios for district and campus administrators, implement standardization, scheduling, and monitoring of emergency drills

Recommendation 1.3: Interaction with local emergency management

• Collaboration between schools and public safety agencies is essential
• Improves preparedness, response, and recovery efforts
• Public safety personnel should conduct safety/security/emergency prep walk-throughs at facilities
• Meet with hospital EM to discuss communication during incidents
• Attend local EM meetings (LEPCs, disaster councils)
• Include these personnel on your emergency planning team

Resources Priority

• Incident resources include personnel, equipment, and facilities for managing emergencies
• These resources are essential for responding to natural disasters, accidents, or other emergencies
• This includes specialized equipment, communication tools, and assets needed to address incidents

Personnel

• Building relationships and understanding school culture are key
• All the equipment and supplies purchased by the school will be used ineffectively and inefficiently without a trained team of individuals who have an EM mindset
• Trained personnel are the basis of any effective incident response
• District administration supports campuses during emergencies
• School administrators are leadership positions assigned to emergency operations
• Organized teams at the school and district levels provide oversight

Supplies and Equipment

• Vary based on school funding and hazards
• It is recommended that any supplies and equipment purchases to be focused on the categories of emergency preparedness and/or communication and coordination functions
• Well-resourced schools have standardized alerting systems as well as radio go-kits for reunification and classroom traumatic bleeding injury response kits

Recommendation 2.1: Introductory Meetings

• New district personnel should get to know key players in the district using the “30 in 3” rule; Schedule meetings within the first three weeks of starting
• School personnel should meet with members of each school leadership position within 3-6 months
• These meetings will allow you to provide a resume, background, and objectives, get to know the individuals, assess the political and social landscape, and encourage training or involvement in teams
• These meetings assist in identifying members for multidisciplinary safety teams

Recommendation 2.2: Conduct assessments to implement planning

• Emergency managers should understand the school’s risks, capabilities, and resources by conducting assessments
• Better help to plan and determine necessary training
• Helps to develop drills and exercises to test the school district’s ability to respond and recover from incidents

Risk Assessments

• Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (THIRA) is a structured model to identify threats, hazards, and vulnerabilities
• Examine the physical structures of facilities for susceptibility to damage
• Implement crime prevention through environmental design

School Site Specific Risk Assessments

• Review past incidents, hazards around and on campus, referrals, attendance, law enforcement reports, insurance claims, CPS reports, community crime data, and surveys
• Look at programs and procedures for safety/security on campus

Resource Assessments for Equipment and Supplies

• Are variable based upon school/district funding
• Inventory equipment and supplies on a regular basis
• Prioritize purchasing based on assessment
• District/school needs to have equipment and supplies specific to their needs of equipment and supplies

Resource Assessments for People

• Ask staff about their skill and experience that are useful in different emergencies
• such as, law enforcement, medical, mechanical, wilderness survival, structural engineering, mental health

Resource Assessments for Facilities

• Look at the facilities the school has and can use during a disaster
• Asses what facilities/rooms can be used to secure people/property

Resource Plans

• Review the plans for different types of emergencies, including any that you need to develop to ensure safety

Capability Assessments

• Need to identify the capabilities of the district and how they need to respond and recover from the incidents
• An assessment determines how many staff can perform the necessary actions, the resources they have, and what needs to be conducted as a result

Recommendation 2.3: Vendors and selecting resources

Vendors

• Can consume a large portion of your time, and new K-12 emergency managers can spend countless hours listening to promise solutions for every obstacle faced by the school/district
• Do not jump into vendor conversations until the school/district has conducted assessments and prioritize actions for improvement

Selecting Resources

• It is critical for solutions to work during an emergency and that solutions can be different
• Before buying any service, supplies, or equipment, discuss your needs with the purchasing department and IT
• Gathering subject experts and getting information may help narrow down choices

The Practical Decision Maker Six Step Model

• Involves mindset, problem definition, solution criteria, possible solutions, solution choices, and implementation

Mind-set

• Cultivating the right mental attitude for the whole team by being open-minded and willing to explore alternatives to adapt to the solutions within the organization

Problem Definition

• Define the problem or challenge the school district is trying to solve while also being clear and comprehensive

Solution Criteria

• Acting as a benchmark for potential options that may include feasibility, interoperability, ethical consideration, and alignment with organizational goals

Possible Solutions

• Brainstorm and generate a range of potential solutions that meet the criteria considering multiple avenues ensure that various angles are considered

Solution Choices

• Evaluate the possible solutions against the established criteria looking at the pros and cons and weigh the possible goals

Implementation

• Implementation involves putting the chosen solution into action
• Includes planning, resource allocation, and execution to ensure clear communication

Emergency Management Program Launch and Administration priority

• Form a planning team to build out your district’s emergency operations plan
• Establish key expenses for EM success, and a monitoring system

Recommendation 3.1: Emergency Operations Plan Development

• The Emergency Operations Plan can be broken down into three sections: the Basic Plan, Functional Annexes, Hazard-Specific Annexes
• The Basic Plan section overviews the commitment, outlines hazards, identifies key contacts, describes ICS, and narrates EM phases
• Functional Annexes highlights student and family reunification, facility shut-down procedures, continuity of operations, and crisis communications
• Hazard-Specific Annexes will focus primarily on hazards in the basic plan

Recommendation 3.2: Budget and Staffing

• Should be allocated towards supplies equipment travel and staffing
• Evaluate full-time employees needs and external support, such as, maintenance and operations, data and compliance, and student services
• Develop a system to monitor program implementation, track milestones, and identify initiatives

Staffing Model

• Include director of EM, EM Coordinator, EM Specialist, and Systems Analyst
• May include BTA Administrator, pending which district department owns the BTA program

Director of EM

• Develops the vision for and provides strategic oversight -Promote a safe and secure environment in an effort to promote a safe and secure environment for all students and staff. Manages and coaches appropriate departmental staff, collaborates with cross-functional departmental teams, leads the district’s safety and security committee, and liaises with various external stakeholders and board members toward meeting this goal.

EM Coordinator

• Works closely with the Director of EM that promotes safety and security
• Ensures the effective implementation of emergency preparedness, policies, procedures, and programs.

EM Specialist

• Coordinates emergency preparedness procedures
• Under the direction of the Director of EM, coordinates emergency preparedness procedures to ensure that all district staff is trained and prepared to respond in case of an emergency.

Security Systems Analyst

• Ensures maintenance, support, and installation of all safety technology is completed on-time • Ensures the maintenance, support, and installation of all safety technology is completed on-time and in accordance with district specifications.

BTA Administrator

• Supports the mentorship, counseling, and implementation of behavior intervention strategies • Supports the mentorship, counseling, and implementation of behavior intervention strategies to promote the overall well-being and growth of students.

Ninety Day Plan

• Use specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals
• Each 30 days can be a theme, or focus
• Themes vary, but include monitoring safety routines, discussing safety plans, and prioritizing communications between safety groups

Recommendation 3.3: State and local requirements

Emergency Management

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FEMA tends to drive EM federal mandates, state may provide mandates
• State based departments/units are specific to safety, security, and EM

States

• Can assist K-12 emergency managers in understanding any requirements pertinent to them View state departments here.

Local Resources

• Local resources may help understand any local requirements and networking
• Consider local emergency planning committees and city/county EM departments

Training and Exercises Priority

• Ensuring the district understands the ICS structure as well as an overall understanding of how EM plays a role in K-12 is essential, as school-based personnel often assigned ICS roles with little training or background in EM
• At least a basic knowledge in these areas will assist in supporting a successful response to any emergency on or off a school campus
• All district and school-based personnel should complete basic ICS training and role-specific training as well as participate in safety based committee meetings

Recommendation 4.1: Incident Command System Training

• It is imperative to ensure assigned personnel have a FEMA student identification number

Key Courses

• These offer training independently on FEMA Student Identification Numbers (SID's) and knowledge in basic response settings

Administration

• Includes regular schedules and consistent application to ensure retention and skill improvements

Recommendation 4.2: Integrated Preparedness Plan (IPP)

• Upon completing recommended training based on personnel roles, various exercises should be conducted
• Each level of the district can develop, execute, and evaluate exercises that address the readiness priorities

Table Top Exercises

• Involve validation through hypothetical scenario with specific planning goals

Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP)

• Should be flexible, adaptable, and can scale to your district
• Can develop, execute, and evaluate exercises that address the readiness priorities to include: risk and capability assessments, findings, identified vulnerabilities from previous events, and external requirements
• Exercises should document improvements and necessary corrections

Standard Response Protocols

• Are an extension of training and as a means of procedural improvement planning
• Campus emergency drills are a critical component to the development of response and recovery muscle memory among K-12 faculty and staff
• SRP is based on the response to any given situation not on individual scenarios
• SRP also allows for flexibility, district training, is aligned with ics command, and can be led by qualified trained parties.

Directives include

• Secure, lockdown, evaluate, shelter, hold
• Types of drills are determined by each state
• Vary by number of instances or regulation updates
• Emergency drill type and frequency also varies by state

Monitoring and Refining EM Program Priorities

• Is critical ongoing process
• Regular evaluation is critical

Recommendation 5.1: Multidisciplinary safety and security team

• Provides coordination of efforts and helps school drills and security by community partners
• This committee recommends responses to the board of trustees in the district for security
• Ensures the safety and well being of the students an staff within the district

Responsibilities include

• Emergency plan evaluation and implementation
• Ensuring plans are specific to each campus need

Recommendation 5.2: Evaluate existing district multihazard Emergency Operations Plan

• Evaluating an existing plan will ensure a proper response to a variety of emergencies
• Proper evaluation is determined by adapting circumstances and planning for all scenarios

Recommendation 5.3: Collaborate and coordinate with local K-12 emergency managers

• Organize meetings and work shops to share challenges and best practices for better EM
• This facilitates better connection through mutual support