Is Your Child's School Prepared?
From the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. Visit their website for more information.
In contrast to medical emergencies that typically involve a single student, school-wide emergencies - fires, violent weather, weapons inside a school, or community disasters - involve the student-body as a whole. School-wide emergencies do not all require the same response: A fire requires an immediate evacuation; an armed intruder may require locked-down classrooms. A gas or chemical danger may also require remaining indoors. Finding our how your child's school has prepared itself for the unexpected is a good way to protect your child and all students at the school.
Here are three basic questions to pose concerning school-wide emergencies:
- What emergency situations have been identified that might threaten the school or its surrounding community and what is the response for each?
- Have school staff and students received training or participated in drills using the emergency procedures?
- How do new teachers or staff learn and practice emergency procedures?
The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools has Free Handouts and Checklists for Parents. Most are also available in Spanish.
