How does the schools plan interact with the larger community emergency response plan?
In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program will gather experts from a number of emergency preparedness and response-related fields and backgrounds to develop recommendations for model school safety and parental notification plans for schools and others areas where children gather. This effort is funded by Congress and calls for wide dissemination across the country. Who should be on our schools committee for developing and implementing the plan? Ideally, school safety committees include teachers, parents, local law enforcement, emergency management, public safety, health and mental health agencies. Is there any significant difference in the preparation that schools need to do if a threat comes from an internal source (such as a school shooting) vs. an external source (such as terrorism)? The key principles of emergency preparedness — planning, teamwork, and practiceare essential in preparing for many different types of emergencies. However, some spe
