Over 55 million students and their guardians trust schools to keep them safe. Being able to successfully respond to emergencies is a key component of maintaining this trust and sustaining a safe school.
There are many facets to emergency response, and as the school climate continues to change and new legislation takes effect, schools are obligated to have processes and resources to prepare for, respond to, and recover from any crisis.
We’ve compiled this checklist of best practice action items based on our conversations and partnerships with over 35,000 K-12 U.S. schools. An excerpt from the checklist is below.
Prepare
- Assemble a security planning team of key stakeholders, representatives from your school community, and community partners
- Conduct a thorough risk assessment for each building to analyze threats and vulnerabilities
- Complete an annual physical security assessment that examines safety, security, climate, culture, and emergency preparedness
- Develop a comprehensive emergency operations plan (EOP) that will be the foundation of your school safety and security
- Incorporate industry-leading protocols like The I Love U Guys Foundation into your EOP
- Set a cadence to regularly review and update your EOP throughout the year
- Create detailed maps that combine floor plans, high-resolution imagery, and gridded overlay to share with first responders
- Complete district-wide, age-appropriate safety training like the H.E.R.O Program from Safe Kids, Inc.
- Train teachers and staff how to quickly summon help for any emergency, including school- or district-wide emergencies and localized incidents, like student fights or irate visitors
Over 35,000 K-12 U.S. schools trust the Raptor integrated safety platform. Contact us today to see why were the nations leading K-12 safety partner and to set up a personalized demo.
