Strategies for Effective K-12 Disaster Preparedness, Response, and Recovery

Responding and recovering from a severe weather event starts with creating a plan to keep everyone safe.

Download the Guide

What You’ll Learn

Prepare, Respond,
and Recover

Learn how to write a robust response plan and keep everyone safe.

Operate a Disaster
Shelter

Learn how your school can be a safe, welcoming shelter for your entire community.

Use
Technology

Learn how school safety software can help you every step of the way.

“[With the reunification software, we are] able to ensure the safety of our students on campus and consult with our local police department... By [using a reunification system] that does the quick [ID] scan, it helps us to ensure we’re releasing students to the people we need to be releasing them to.”

Midlothian Independent School District, TX
icon

Download the Guide

Learn best practices that can help you develop a response plan that is built for your school and every person inside and outside of it.

What's Inside

  • Chapter 1

    Before: Prepare and Practice
    Write a robust plan before inclement weather impacts your schools—and make sure you practice it.

  • Chapter 2

    During: Respond and Stay Safe
    Responding to severe weather can require alerting your community, accounting for everyone, and collaborating with first responders.

  • Chapter 3

    After: Recover and Reunite
    You'll need to assess the damage, and if evacuation was required, reunite students with guardians.

  • Chapter 4

    Protecting Others: Using Your Buildings as Emergency Disaster Shelters
    Follow the best practices to effectively operate as a disaster shelter and keep your community safe.

  • Chapter 5

    Use Reliable, Trusted School Safety Software to Protect Your School
    Choose a partner with expertise who puts your goals first and is committed to your long-term success.

Practice Disaster Response

Just like your EOP, your disaster plan is only valuable if the procedures are routinely practiced. Drills familiarize your school and community with your plan as well as individual responsibilities, roles, and actions.

Scheduling

Think about the location, duration, time, and frequency. Let stakeholders—including guardians—know about drills well in advance so no one is caught off guard.

Executing

Every drill should follow your weather plan and EOP. This allows your school community to gain more familiarity with the plan and become more confident with each drill.

Assessing

Drills should also be conducted to test your school’s procedures and policies and reveal areas of weakness. Your safety team should immediately debrief after every drill.

Help Keep Your Schools Safe With Raptor

Download the Guide