Schools need to develop comprehensive school safety plans that address the variety of crisis events they may face. While many schools and school districts revised plans to address school shootings following the tragedy at Columbine High School, the terrorist attacks in New York City and Virginia raise concerns that may not be addressed in current school safety plans. Following the events of September 11, the U.S. Department of Education issued the following guidelines for addressing these types of broad-based crises:

• Evacuation: A major crisis may require several schools to be evacuated simultaneously. Because school plans frequently call for students to be evacuated to other schools in the district, alternative evacuation sites (and alternative evacuation routes) should be identified. This concern also suggests that safety plans for individual schools must be coordinated with overall school district plans. Special plans are also necessary to address situations in which bioterrorism is threatened or suspected. In these cases, evacuation procedures must ensure that cross-contamination does not occur.

• Attendance: In a major crisis, schools may need to quickly account for students. A plan for collecting and maintaining accurate attendance figures throughout the school day provides the data necessary for this process. Schools should remember that attendance records should be maintained in locations that are readily accessible to teachers, administrators, and emergency service workers, including law enforcement officials.

• Parental Notification: Parents will expect schools to provide quick and accurate information about the location and status of their children. Schools should have established procedures for making such notifications and should share those procedures in advance with parents. A major crisis that impacts an entire community may also mean that parents or other caregivers have been evacuated from their jobs. As a result, school safety plans need to address additional alternatives for communicating with parents in these situations. This scenario also demands that schools examine their procedures for releasing students to parents or other caregivers. If parents or other designated individuals can't reach students, or if students can't be transported to their homes because of a crisis, schools need to have a plan to respond to that situation.

• Transportation: During a large-scale crisis, usual methods for transporting students may not be available. Alternative strategies for transporting students during evacuations and to home must be in place. And schools located at some sites (for example, on military bases) may be closed to the public; thus, alternatives for transporting those students are also needed.

• Lead Official: Every school site should have one person designated as the lead official, that is, the person who is in charge when a crisis occurs. This person has responsibility for implementing the school's School Safety Plan. In addition to the lead official, schools should have a deputy or assistant lead official in case the lead official is not available in a time of crisis. Lead officials should meet regularly with law enforcement and other emergency responders to clearly define the roles and responsibilities for everyone involved.

Reference

US Department of Education, (2002), Letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige to Chief School Safety Officers.